The 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will kick off on Sunday, 21st December, with the host Morocco squaring off against Comoros. Here, we
The 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will kick off on Sunday, 21st December, with the host Morocco squaring off against Comoros.
Here, we inform you of all that you need to know about the imminent tournament.
Dates
Sunday 21 December 2025 to Sunday 18 January 2026. It will be the first time the tournament is hosted across two different years.
Host Nation
It will be the second time the North Africans are hosting this tournament, having done so in 1988. Morocco was ready to host it in 2015, but withdrew from hosting the entire continent over Ebola fears.
Participating teams
It will be the fourth time the tournament will be competed by 24 teams. The 2019, 2021 and 2023 editions were competed by 24 teams.
Host cities and Venues
There are six host cities and nine stadiums for the tournament.
– Adrar Stadium, Agadir (capacity 45,480)
– Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca (capacity 45,000)
– Fez Stadium, Fez (capacity 45,000)
– Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh (capacity 45,240)
– Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat (capacity 68,700)
– Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat (capacity 22,000)
– Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annexe Stadium, Rabat (capacity 21,000)
– Al Barid Stadium, Rabat (capacity 18,000)
– Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier (capacity 75,000)
* The opening game and the finals will be played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Qualified Teams and Groups
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: Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
Full schedule?
*All kickoff times are in GMT
Sunday, Dec. 21
Group A: Morocco vs Comoros, kickoff 7 p.m. – Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
Monday, Dec. 22
Group A: Mali vs Zambia, kickoff 2.30 p.m. – Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca
Group B: Egypt vs Zimbabwe, kickoff 5 p.m. – Adrar Stadium, Agadir
Group B: South Africa vs Angola, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh
Tuesday, Dec. 23
Group C: Nigeria vs Tanzania, kickoff 12 p.m. – Fez Stadium, Fez
Group C: Tunisia vs Uganda, kickoff 2.30 p.m. – Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex Stadium, Rabat
Group D: Senegal vs Botswana, kickoff 5 p.m. – Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier
Group D: DR Congo vs Benin, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Al Barid Stadium, Rabat
Wednesday, Dec. 24
Group E: Algeria vs Sudan, kickoff 12 p.m. – Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat
Group E: Burkina Faso vs Equatorial Guinea, kickoff 2.30 p.m. – Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca
Group F: Ivory Coast vs Mozambique, kickoff 5 p.m. – Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh
Group F: Cameroon vs Gabon, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Adrar Stadium, Agadir
Friday, Dec. 26
Group A: Morocco vs Mali, kickoff 12 p.m. – Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
Group A: Zambia vs Comoros, kickoff 2.30 p.m. – Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca
Group B: Egypt vs South Africa, kickoff 5 p.m. – Adrar Stadium, Agadir
Group B: Angola vs Zimbabwe, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh
Saturday, Dec. 27
Group C: Nigeria vs Tunisia, kickoff 12 p.m. – Fez Stadium, Fez
Group C: Uganda vs Tanzania, kickoff 2.30 p.m. – Al Barid Stadium, Rabat
Group D: Senegal vs DR Congo, kickoff 5 p.m. – Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier
Group D: Benin vs Botswana, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex Stadium, Rabat
Sunday, Dec. 28
Group E: Algeria vs Burkina Faso, kickoff 12 p.m. – Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat
Group E: Equatorial Guinea vs Sudan, kickoff 2.30 p.m. – Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca
Group F: Ivory Coast vs Cameroon, kickoff 5 p.m. – Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh
Group F: Gabon vs Mozambique, kickoff 7.30 p.m. (4Seven / Channel 4 Streaming) – Adrar Stadium, Agadir
Monday, Dec. 29
Group A: Comoros vs Mali, kickoff 5.30 p.m. – Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca
Group A: Zambia vs Morocco, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
Group B: Angola vs Egypt, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Adrar Stadium, Agadir
Group B: Zimbabwe vs South Africa, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh
Tuesday, Dec. 30
Group C: Tanzania vs Tunisia, kickoff 5 p.m. – Prince Moulay Abdellah Olympic Annex Stadium, Rabat
Group C: Uganda vs Nigeria, kickoff 5 p.m. – Fez Stadium, Fez
Group D: Benin vs Senegal, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier
Group D: Botswana vs DR Congo, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Al Barid Stadium, Rabat
Wednesday, Dec. 31
Group E: Equatorial Guinea vs Algeria, kickoff 5 p.m. – Moulay Hassan Stadium, Rabat
Group E: Sudan vs Burkina Faso, kickoff 5 p.m. – Mohammed V Stadium, Casablanca
Group F: Gabon vs Ivory Coast, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh
Group F: Mozambique vs Cameroon, kickoff 7.30 p.m. – Adrar Stadium, Agadir
Knockout stages dates
Round of 16: Saturday, Jan. 3 2026 to Tuesday, Jan. 6 2026
Quarterfinals: Friday, Jan. 9 2026 and Saturday, Jan. 10 2026
Semifinals: Wednesday, Jan. 14 2026
Third-place playoff: Saturday, Jan. 17 2026
Final: Sunday, Jan. 18 2026
TV Schedule
In Ghana, SuperSport and Canal Plus will be showing all the games live and in HD.
For the first time, the Africa Cup of Nations will be broadcast on 150+ television channels worldwide, taking African football to every corner of the globe.
In the UK and Ireland, all matches will be live across Channel 4’s network, airing on Channel 4, E4, 4Seven, Streaming and Channel 4 Sport YouTube.
In the U.S the AFCON will be covered on beIN Sports.
Top players to watch out for
Mohamed Salah (Egypt), Victor Osimhen (Nigeria), Ademola Lookman (Nigeria), Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Sadio Mane (Senegal), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will all compete in Morocco for the coveted trophy. Interestingly, they have been the winners of the Africa Footballer of the Year Award since 2015.
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