Holders Ivory Coast to face Cameroon at Afcon 2025

In Morocco, Ivory Coast and Ivory Coast have drawn Cameroon in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Acon).

At a glittering ceremony in Rabat, the Elephants were drawn in Group F, where they will also face Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon and Mozambique.

Africa’s biggest sporting event will begin on 21 December and run until 18 January 2026. Morocco and Morocco will square off in the opening contest.

Nigeria, who lost to Ivory Coast in the Afcon 2023 final, will play in Group C alongside Tunisia.

In the same group, Uganda and Tanzania, two of the co-hosts of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, have been pitted against each other.

Three southern African teams will compete in Group B in other intriguing regional competitions, with Egypt, South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe all drawn together.

Algeria will face Sudan in Group E, despite the fact that the nation is rifrowed in a civil war.

Mustapha Hadji, a legendary Moroccan footballer, was on hand to help the draw.

Former Tottenham and Nottingham Forest defender Serge Aurier, who won the Afcon twice with Ivory Coast, partnered with him.

Joseph Yobo, captain of Nigeria’s Afcon winning team in 2013, was also on hand to pick out the teams.

Senegal’s former Afcon-winning coach Aliou Cisse, who led the Teranga Lions to victory in 2021, also assisted, with his nation drawn in Group D alongside DR Congo.

Morocco, who will also host this year’s Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (Wafcon), stepped in as Afcon 2025 hosts after Guinea were stripped of the tournament because of concerns about infrastructure and facilities.

Just hours before Monday’s draw began, the local organising committee announced that Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakech, Fes and Tangier will host matches during Afcon 2025 across nine stadiums.

Rabat will host the final match at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah’s four stadiums, which will be located in the capital.

Morocco are World Cup co-hosts in 2030, along with Spain and Portugal, and plan to build a 115, 000-seater stadium on the outskirts of Casablanca by 2027, which they hope could stage the global final.