Holders Ivory Coast pit against Cameroon in Afcon 2025 draw

BBC News

27-01-2025

Holders Ivory Coast have drawn Cameroon in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Morocco.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. The opening match will pit hosts Morocco against Comoros. 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.In other intriguing regional contests, three southern African teams will feature in Group B, with South Africa, Angola and Zimbabwe all drawn together along with Mohamed Salah's Egypt. Sudan, who qualified for Afcon 2025 despite the country being engulfed in a civil war, will face Algeria in Group E. Moroccan legend Mustapha Hadji was among the celebrated footballing figures on hand to assist with the draw.Alongside him was former Nottingham Forest and Tottenham defender Serge Aurier, twice an Afcon winner with Ivory Coast. 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. The 24 teams have been split into six groups. The winners and runners-up in each group, plus the best four third-placed teams, will reach the knockout phase.
Morocco on show
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.Four stadiums will be in the capital Rabat, where the final will be played at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah.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.
Afcon 2025 group draw in full
Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, ComorosGroup B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, ZimbabweGroup C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, TanzaniaGroup D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, BotswanaGroup E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, SudanGroup F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique