AFCON
AFCON 2025: By CAF’s reckoning, Super Eagles are not AFCON 2025 favourites
Perhaps owing to their epileptic form, the Super Eagles of Nigeria are not rated by CAF among the five teams to watch at the Africa Cup of Nations holding in December and spreading to January 2026.
The Final Draw of the 35th edition of the premier African football competition will be held in Rabat on Monday, 27 January.
As part of the countdown, CAF has named five teams to watch out for.
While three-time champions and runners-up at the last edition, Nigeria are not mentioned, their under-achieving western neighbours, Benin are among the five teams to watch out for as the tournament, returns to Moroccan soil 37 years after the 1988 edition won by Cameroon. Here are the five teams that CAF listed:
Côte d’Ivoire: The Reigning Champions Aim to Prove Their Worth
Fresh from their dramatic victory on home soil earlier this year, the Elephants of Côte d’Ivoire have everything to prove in Morocco.
Under the innovative leadership of Emerse Faé, recently crowned CAF Coach of the Year, the team faces the challenge of demonstrating that their triumph was no fluke.
While their AFCON 2025 qualification campaign was far from stellar—finishing second in Group G behind Zambia—the team’s ambition remains undeterred.
Côte d’Ivoire will rely on their young, talented squad and Faé’s strategic brilliance to cement their status as African football heavyweights, despite droppingto 46th in the latest FIFA rankings (sixth in Africa).
Benin: The Cheetahs’ Long-Awaited Return
Benin returns to the AFCON after missing the last two editions, securing qualification by the narrowest of margins.
The Cheetahs finished second in Group D, edging Rwanda on goal difference, and will look to build on their impressive 2019 quarter-final run, which included a stunning elimination of Morocco.
With experienced coach Gernot Rohr at the helm, Benin is poised to reignite its AFCON journey.
Rohr’s tactical expertise and proven leadership bring renewed hope to a team eager to make a lasting impact.
Angola: Breaking New Ground
Angola enters AFCON 2025 with momentum after a stellar qualifying campaign that saw them top Group F, remaining unbeaten against Sudan, Niger, and Ghana.
This performance, coupled with their strong showing at the previous tournament, where they reached the quarter-finals, highlights their growing strength.
Coach Pedro Gonçalves has crafted a resilient team capable of challenging the continent’s best.
Angola, participating in their 10th AFCON, will aim to surpass their historical best of reaching the quarter-finals (2008, 2010, and 2023) and finally break through to the semi-finals.
Morocco: Redemption on Home Soil
Despite reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Morocco fell short at the last AFCON, suffering a surprising Round of 16 exit to South Africa.
However, the Atlas Lions rebounded with a flawless qualification campaign, winning all six of their matches in Group B.
Under coach Walid Regragui, Morocco boasts a squad brimming with talent and experience.
Hosting the tournament offers an additional advantage, as the team seeks to secure their second AFCON title—50 years after their first triumph in 1976.
Tanzania: The Taifa Stars’ Big Opportunity
Tanzania stunned many by outperforming Guinea in Group H to secure their spot at AFCON 2025.
Finishing second behind the DR Congo, the Taifa Stars delivered a standout performance, defeating Guinea home and away in the qualifiers.
With their fourth AFCON appearance on the horizon, coach Hemed ‘Morocco’ Suleiman and his team aim to make history by advancing beyond the group stage for the first time.
Their qualification journey hints at a team capable of delivering more surprises on the grand stage.
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The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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