Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 Tournament Review
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, held in Morocco from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, concluded with a dramatic and controversial final that crowned Senegal as AFCON champions. In the title match played in Rabat, Senegal defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time, courtesy of a goal from Pape Gueye. This marked Senegal’s second AFCON title, their first since winning in 2021.
AFCON Final Match Highlights
- The final against Morocco was tense and intensely contested, with both sides fighting hard for continental glory.
- Near the end of regular time, Morocco received a controversial penalty.
- Senegal’s players even left the field temporarily in protest before returning to resume play.
- Brahim Diaz tried to convert a penalty in Panenka style, but his shot was saved by Edouard Mendy in what was a crucial moment before extra time.
- After a goalless 90 minutes, extra time saw Senegal break the deadlock with Gueye’s decisive strike, where he masterfully checked the goalkeeper and gave Senegal the title.
- Morocco, seeking their first AFCON crown since 1976, came agonizingly close but ultimately fell short in front of a passionate home crowd.
Biggest Surprises of the Tournament
- Senegal’s resilience throughout the competition paid off as they overcame tough opponents to lift the trophy, surprising some analysts who favored more established teams.
- Morocco’s run to the final thrilled home supporters, surpassing expectations with strong performances against top sides to reach the title game.
- Nigeria securing third place showed impressive comeback after a semi-final loss, rounding out the podium in a tournament full of tight contests.
Biggest Flops of the Competition
Traditional powerhouses like Ivory Coast and Algeria underperformed compared to expectations, exiting earlier than many predicted. Some top teams struggled for consistency in the group stage, failing to convert early promise into deep runs into the knockout rounds.
Overall, AFCON 2025 delivered drama, emotion, and memorable football, punctuated by Senegal’s triumph and standout performances across the continent.
AFCON Tournament Format and Competition History
AFCON 2025 sticked with the 24-team format first used in 2019. The finalists were split into six groups of four (A–F), playing a round-robin group stage. The top two in each group automatically reached the last 16, joined by the four best third-placed teams, creating a knockout bracket of 16 teams.
From there it was straightforward: single-leg knockouts in the round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals, followed by a third-place playoff and the final in Rabat on 18 January 2026.
For bettors and tipsters this format had a few key implications:
- Strong teams could possibly start slowly and still qualify via third place, which would create value on underdogs in early group games.
- Knockout ties often became tight, low-margin contests, with extra time and penalties being a real possibility.
- Squad depth and rotation were definitely critical, as teams played seven matches in under a month, with travel between multiple Moroccan cities.
- All this means that understanding the format is essential before you start backing outrights, group winners, or progression bets.
AFCON Competition History
The Africa Cup of Nations dates back to 1957, when the inaugural tournament was staged in Sudan with just three teams: Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan. Egypt won that first edition and quickly established themselves as the dominant early force.
Over the decades, AFCON has expanded several times, eventually reaching the current 24-team final tournament and becoming the continent’s flagship international competition.
Egypt remain the most successful nation in AFCON history with seven titles, ahead of Cameroon (five) and Ghana (four).
Recent years, however, have underlined just how competitive the tournament has become. Different champions lifted the trophy in 2019 (Algeria), 2021 (Senegal) and 2023 (Ivory Coast), reflecting a broadening of elite talent across the continent.
For bettors, that history is a reminder that AFCON rarely follows a simple script. Big favourites can fall early, hosts can thrive under pressure (or crumble), and teams with strong tournament DNA often outperform their pre-tournament odds.
| Year | Champion | Runner-Up |
| 2025 | Senegal | Morocco |
| 2023 | Ivory Coast | Nigeria |
| 2021 | Senegal | Egypt |
| 2019 | Algeria | Senegal |
| 2017 | Cameroon | Egypt |
| 2015 | Ivory Coast | Ghana |
| 2013 | Nigeria | Burkina Faso |
| 2012 | Zambia | Ivory Coast |
| 2010 | Egypt | Ghana |
Notable Players Participating in AFCON
AFCON 2025 was stacked with star power. According to early previews and winner-odds markets, some of the biggest names which headlined the tournament included:
Mohamed Salah (Egypt) – Still the talisman for the Pharaohs, Salah remains one of the most decisive forwards in world football.
Achraf Hakimi (Morocco) – The flying full-back is central to Morocco’s game plan, offering pace, creativity and set-piece threat from the right.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria) – A prolific striker whose movement and power can decide any knockout tie.
Amadou Haidara (Mali) – This dynamic box-to-box midfielder gives Leipzig options both going forward and when defending. He would be invaluable for Mali in this tournament.
You can add in emerging or in-form stars like Ademola Lookman of Nigeria, recently crowned African Footballer of the Year after a stunning season with Atalanta, plus the creative talents from Algeria, Senegal, Ivory Coast, and beyond.
From a betting angle, these players shape goals, shots, and anytime scorer markets, but also influence team-level prices, as public money often chases star names, sometimes inflating their teams’ odds relative to true probability.
What to look for in AFCON betting
AFCON is a dream and a trap for bettors in equal measure. If you’re looking to build a smart staking plan, keep these angles front and centre:
- Hosts and conditions
Morocco’s home advantage, strong infrastructure and passionate crowds will influence both performance and prices. Home support plus familiar conditions can boost Morocco, but markets may over-correct, creating value on their opponents in certain spots.
- Defensive intensity and low-scoring games
Historically, AFCON knockout matches lean tight and tactical rather than free-scoring, making unders and “both teams to score: no” attractive in specific match-ups, especially when big teams meet in later rounds.
- Outrights and each-way value
Current odds have Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Senegal near the top, with Nigeria and defending champions Ivory Coast priced slightly longer. Dark horses like Mali or Tunisia often offer better each-way or “to reach the semi-final” value than the headline favourites.
- Group-stage opportunities
Watch for strong teams rotating or easing into the tournament; this can create short-term value on handicaps, draws or cautious unders. Conversely, must-win scenarios in round three can drive higher-tempo, higher-scoring games, which is ideal for over 2.5 goals or “team to score 2+” plays.
- In-play & momentum swings
AFCON games can flip quickly: late goals, red cards, and crowd-driven surges are common. Live betting on next goal, late corners or adjusted totals can be more profitable than pre-match bets, if you’re actively watching, of course.
Approach AFCON 2025 with patience, focus on context over reputation, and treat every market as a puzzle rather than a headline. That’s how you turn a spectacular tournament into a smart betting opportunity.
Where Can I Find Africa Cup of Nations Betting Tips?
First, view the top of this page to see the top three predictions of the day. You will see the games with all the necessary stats regarding the match and tips about the game’s final outcome. It is not required to sign up or to pay anything to see them. You can even be a one-time visitor who stumbles on the site by mistake but decides to stay for the AFCON betting advice.
The advantages of using this page in finding Africa Cup of Nations betting tips are numerous. You will get everything that you need in one place. Have access to stats and match previews for certain games. Finally, be able to see what people from around the world think about the matchup and use it for your future betting. Our expert tipsters cover a variety of betting markets including both teams to score, correct score, and bet of the day in their African Cup of Nations football predictions.
They are posted by people who are expert tipsters and have been doing this for a long time. Also, all of the tips are free as we don’t feel comfortable charging for something we don’t guarantee success in. View it as a piece of advice that you can choose to follow or not.
How to Choose the Best Bookmaker for AFCON
There are a lot of betting sites offering action on CAN. So in order to make the African Cup of Nations best bets, you have to choose a reliable bookmaker first time for betting.
The first thing that you can check is reliability. You need to be sure that betting with a certain operator is safe. The next thing is the odds. Since many bookmakers give action on AFCON, it would be best to analyze each of their offers and choose the one that has the most value or offers the biggest predictions and odds.
Finally, we propose checking each bookmaker’s first time sign up bonus. Operators already have welcome bonuses for newly joining players. But an event like this might come with some exclusive bonuses that are specifically connected with the African Cup of Nations. Check the providers’ offers, determine the one which suits you the most, and register with the provider. The rest of it involves having as much fun as possible while playing smartly and responsibly on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
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Star ratings are based on our personal opinion of the bookmakers we work with. We also take customer feedback into account in our rankings.
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