The eagerly anticipated Final Draw of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 is scheduled to take place in Rabat on Monday, 27 January 2025. During this event, the 24 competing teams will learn their group stage opponents.
The draw, set to begin at 7:00 PM (9:00 PM in Uganda), will feature representatives from all 24 nations that have qualified for the tournament. It will also serve as an opportunity for national teams to assess the match venues, training facilities, and hotel infrastructure available in Morocco.
The teams will be divided into six groups, each containing four sides. The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the Round of 16. Morocco, hosting the finals for the first time since 1988, is entering a significant period as the nation is also preparing to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal.
This year’s tournament marks the 35th edition of AFCON, a competition that dates back to 1957, making it the third oldest continental football championship after South America’s Copa América (1916) and Asia’s AFC Asian Cup (1956).
The lineup for this year’s tournament includes teams that have previously participated in AFCON. Host nation Morocco competed in the qualifiers in Group B despite their automatic qualification. Ghana, however, failed to qualify for the first time since 2004, finishing bottom of Group F.
Tunisia secured their place for the 22nd time, extending their record for consecutive appearances to 17, having been a constant presence since 1994. Other returning teams include Comoros, Gabon, Sudan, and Zimbabwe, who missed out on the 2023 tournament.
Benin and Uganda are also making a comeback after nearly five years, while Botswana has qualified for only the second time in their history, with their last participation being in 2012. Nations such as Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Namibia, which competed in 2023, failed to qualify this year.
The teams have been placed into four pots for the draw. Pot 1 consists of Morocco (hosts), Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast (holders).
Pot 2 features Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, DR Congo, and Burkina Faso. Pot 3 includes Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and Benin.
Lastly, Pot 4 is made up of Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. The draw promises to set the stage for an exciting and competitive tournament in Morocco 2025.
