Defending champions Ivory Coast have been drawn alongside Cameroon in the group stage of the highly anticipated 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), set to take place in Morocco.
During a spectacular draw ceremony held in Rabat, the Elephants found themselves in Group F, where they will also face Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s Gabon and Mozambique.
AFCON 2025, Africa’s premier football event, is scheduled to kick off on December 21, 2025, and will conclude on January 18, 2026. Hosts Morocco will take on Comoros in the tournament’s opening match.
Nigeria, runners-up in the 2023 edition after losing to Ivory Coast in the final, have been placed in Group C alongside Tunisia. Completing the group are Uganda and Tanzania, who are both set to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
Group B promises thrilling southern African rivalries, with South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe drawn together alongside Mohamed Salah’s Egypt.
Elsewhere, Sudan, who remarkably secured qualification despite ongoing civil unrest, will face Algeria in Group E.
Adding to the event’s prestige, Moroccan football legend Mustapha Hadji played a prominent role in conducting the draw. He was joined by notable figures, including Serge Aurier, a two-time AFCON champion with Ivory Coast, Joseph Yobo, captain of Nigeria’s 2013 AFCON-winning squad, and Senegal’s former AFCON-winning coach Aliou Cisse, who guided the Teranga Lions to glory in 2021.
Cisse’s Senegal will compete in Group D, where they will take on DR Congo, Benin, and Botswana.
In total, 24 teams have been divided into six groups. The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage, promising an exciting road to the championship.
AFCON 2025 Group Draw in Full
- Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
- Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
- Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
- Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
- Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
- Group F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
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