South Africa Set To Face Egypt In AFCON, Nigeria Draw Tunisia

Photo : AFP

South Africa will play Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, in the group stage of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). Meanwhile, Nigeria, with its star Ademola Lookman, will face Tunisia. The draw for the 24-team tournament took place on Monday in Rabat.

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Morocco, as the host country, will play Comoros in the opening match on December 21. Defending champions Ivory Coast will face Cameroon, a team that has won AFCON five times. Sudan, a country dealing with civil unrest, will play Algeria. Another exciting match will see Senegal play the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Mohamed Salah, a famous player from Liverpool, has won many titles with his club but has not yet won the AFCON with Egypt. He came very close in 2017 and 2022 when Egypt finished second. Along with South Africa, Egypt will also compete with Angola and Zimbabwe in Group B.

Nigeria, which finished second in the last AFCON, has top players like Ademola Lookman, the African Footballer of the Year, and Victor Osimhen. Tunisia, making their 17th straight appearance in the tournament, will join Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania in Group C.

Ivory Coast, who are the current champions, will also play against Gabon and Mozambique in Group F. They have strong players, including Amad Diallo, who scored a hat-trick for Manchester United.

Morocco, with players like Achraf Hakimi, will hope to win the AFCON on their home ground. If they succeed, they will join Tunisia, Egypt, and Ivory Coast as hosts who have won the tournament. Tunisia won in 2004, Egypt in 2006, and Ivory Coast in 2024, with all victories being hard-fought.

The AFCON has had different winners in the past, with Ivory Coast being the only team to win twice in the last eight editions. Other winners include Egypt, Zambia, Nigeria, Cameroon, Algeria, and Senegal.

CAF President, Patrick Motsepe, is very excited about the upcoming tournament and believes it will be the best one yet. The AFCON will also help Morocco prepare for the 2030 World Cup, which will be shared with Spain and Portugal. The tournament was delayed to avoid overlapping with the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Here is the draw for the group stages:

  Group A:
- Morocco
- Mali
- Zambia
- Comoros

  Group B:
- Egypt
- South Africa
- Angola
- Zimbabwe

  Group C:
- Nigeria
- Tunisia
- Uganda
- Tanzania

  Group D:
- Senegal
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Benin
- Botswana

  Group E:
- Algeria
- Burkina Faso
- Equatorial Guinea
- Sudan

  Group F:
- Ivory Coast (Holders)
- Cameroon
- Gabon
- Mozambique