The African Cup of Nations is the African equivalent of the European Championships, bringing together top talents across the continent of Africa for a shot at glory.
The 2025 edition will be the 35th edition of the biennial competition and will take place in Morocco from the 21st of December till the 18th of January, 2026.
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This particular edition will be the first to be played over the festive period and it will see 24 participating countries compete for a chance to dethrone defending champions Ivory Coast, who defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the 2023 final.
In this piece, SportPremi highlights major things to know ahead of the commencement of the tournament;
Prize Money
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced that a total of $32 million will be up for grabs at the 2025 African Cup of Nations in Morocco.
Here is the official breakdown for the prize money:
Champion: $7 million
Runner-up: $4 million
Semi-finalists: $2.5 million each
Quarter-finalists: $1.3 million each
Round of 16 participants: $800,000 each
Third in Group: $700,000 each
Fourth in Group: $500,000 each
Participating Countries
The 2025 African Cup of Nations sees 24 countries compete in the group stages, with the likes of Ghana, Gambia and Guinea all missing out.
Only 16 of these nations will advance to the knockout stages, with the top two teams from the six groups and four highest ranked third placed teams.
Stadiums
Nine stadiums in six cities will host the competition, beginning with the opening clash between Morocco and Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Other venues are the Adrar Stadium in Agadir, Stade Mohammed V in Casabalanca, Fez Stadium in Fez, Marrakesh Stadium in Marrakesh, Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat Olympic Stadium and Al Medina Stadium in Rabat and the Tangier Grand Stadium in Tangier.
When will the Group Stage Begin and End?
The group stages will commence on the 21st of December, with the final group stage clash on the 31st of December.
The Knockout rounds will then commence on the 3rd of January, 2026, while the final will take place on the 18th of January at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The group stages draw in full:
A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
