The African Cup of Nations returns at the end of 2025. It has quickly become a fan-favourite international tournament on the football calendar as the number of talented African soccer players continues to rise. With the competition moving to Morocco and featuring a deep field of contenders, interest has never been higher. Fans in Ireland will have full access to every moment, from the opening match in December to the final in mid-January, with comprehensive coverage available across free-to-air platforms.
This guide breaks down everything you need to know, including how to watch the tournament in Ireland, key dates, host venues, tournament favourites, and the full group-stage lineup. With Premier League stars preparing to depart for international duty and several heavyweight African nations entering the competition in strong form, AFCON 2025 is shaping up to be one of the most compelling editions of all time.
Where can I watch the African Cup of Nations?
Fans in the UK and Ireland can watch every game of the African Cup of Nations live on Channel 4 and their networks. The broadcaster holds exclusive rights for the entire tournament, meaning all fixtures will be available across Channel 4’s main channel, streaming platform and associated outlets E4 and 4Seven. Viewers can rely on full live coverage, highlights, analysis and tournament-wide programming throughout the competition.
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When is the African Cup of Nations?
AFCON begins on December 21st, 2025. The tournament will run for just under a month, featuring a packed schedule of group-stage fixtures followed by knockout rounds that build towards the final in mid-January. Fans can expect matches almost every day during the opening phase, with the competition intensifying as teams progress.
When is the African Cup of Nations Final?
The AFCON final kicks off on January 18th 2026. The showpiece match will close nearly four weeks of competition and will crown the new champions of Africa. As always, the final is expected to draw massive global attention, with the continent’s strongest side rising from a demanding group stage and knockout path to compete for the trophy.
Where is the African Cup of Nations?
Morocco will host AFCON 2025 for the first time since 1988, bringing the tournament back to North Africa after a long and complex reshuffling of hosts. Morocco’s selection was shaped by several changes as CAF navigated issues around preparation, infrastructure, and tournament readiness. Cameroon were originally scheduled to host the 2019 tournament but was stripped of the rights due to delays in stadium and logistical preparations. That decision triggered a chain reaction. Cameroon were moved to 2021, which pushed the original 2021 hosts, the Ivory Coast, to 2023. Guinea were subsequently assigned the 2025 edition.
However, in September 2022, CAF removed Guinea as hosts after concluding that progress on essential facilities and organisational benchmarks was not sufficient. With the tournament without a confirmed venue, CAF reopened the bidding process to identify a replacement. Morocco emerged as the standout candidate. On 27 September 2023, they were officially awarded hosting rights for AFCON 2025. Six host cities will host the games across nine venues.
- Agadir – Adrar Stadium (45,000)
- Casablanca – Stade Mohammed V (45,000)
- Fez – Fez Stadium (45,000)
- Marrakesh – Marrakesh Stadium (45,000)
- Rabat – Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium (68,700)
- Rabat – Moulay Hassan Stadium (22,000)
- Rabat – Rabat Olympic Stadium (21,000)
- Rabat – Al Medina Stadium (18,000)
- Tangier – Tangier Grand Stadium (75,600)
Who are the favourites for AFCON?
Betting on the African Cup of Nations reveals Morocco is the favourite to lift the trophy. The Atlas Lions continue to grow in stature after their historic World Cup run and strong performances in recent continental competitions, combining elite talent, tactical structure, and impressive squad depth. Playing on home soil only strengthens their position and adds expectation that they can finally convert promise into a major title.
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Ivory Coast will also enter the tournament with confidence as the defending champions. Their victory at the last AFCON showed both resilience and top-end technical quality, and their core remains strong enough to challenge again. Senegal, Egypt, and Algeria are the other major contenders.
Senegal boasts one of the most balanced squads in Africa, with talented players spread across the top leagues in Europe and beyond. Egypt has an undeniable tournament pedigree led by top-tier experience and global superstar Mo Salah. Algeria boast attacking weapons capable of beating anyone on their day. This edition of AFCON promises one of the most competitive fields in years, with several nations holding realistic ambitions of going all the way.
What are the AFCON groups?
The state of international football in the continent of Africa is constantly evolving. That means there are famous players in nearly every team. To help you keep up with the action, here are the confirmed groups for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
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Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
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Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
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Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
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Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
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Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
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Group F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique
These groups set up a balanced and intriguing tournament. We have heavyweight clashes, regional rivalries and several emerging nations looking to make a breakthrough on the continental stage.
Which Premier League players will play at AFCON?
Most AFCON squads have now been confirmed, and there are a host of Premier League stars set to appear in the tournament. The biggest name will be Liverpool and Egypt talisman Mohamed Salah. Salah is seven goals away from becoming the Pharaohs’ all-time top goalscorer. Fellow countryman Omar Marmoush has also been called up, meaning Premier League Champions Manchester City will have to do without the 59 million-pound man.
On the red side of Manchester, Ruben Amorim will have to fill the gaps left behind by no less than three players, with Bryan Mbuemo, Nossair Mazraoui and Amad Diallo called up by Cameroon, Morocco, and Ivory Coast, respectively. Brighton midfielder and United target Carlos Baleba will join Mbuemo in the Cameroon setup.
- Mohamed Salah (Liverpool, Egypt)
- Omar Marmoush (Manchester City, Egypt)
- Bryan Mbuemo (Manchester United, Cameroon)
- Nossair Mazraoui (Manchester United, Morocco)
- Amad Diallo (Manchester United, Ivory Coast)
- Carlos Baleba (Brighton, Cameroon)
- Noah Sadiki (Sunderland, DR Congo)
- Arthur Masuaku (Sunderland, DR Congo)
- Bertrand Traore (Sunderland, Burkina Faso)
- Reinildo (Sunderland, Mozambique)
- Axel Tuanzebe (Burnley, DR Congo)
- Lyle Foster (Burnley, South Africa)
- Hannibal Mejbri (Burnley, Tunisia)
- Dango Ouatarra (Brentford, Burkina Faso)
- Emmanuel Agbadou (Wolves, Ivory Coast)
- Aaron Wan Bissaka (West Ham, DR Congo)
- Pape Matar Sarr (Tottenham Hotspur, Senegal)
- Yves Bissouma (Tottenham Hotspur, Mali)
Premier League new boys Sunderland will have the most absentees. Last year’s playoff winners have been incredibly impressive in the League this season. However, they will have to continue to be without four of their players. Noah Sadiki and Arthur Masuaku will appear for DR Congo, while Bertrand Traore has been called up by Burkina Faso and Reinildo by Mozambique. Fellow promotion winners Burnley will also lose important players, with Axel Tuanzebe, Lyle Foster, and Hannibal Mejbri called up for the DR Congo, South Africa and Tunisia squads, respectively. There are still teams to be confirmed too, with the likes of Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Iliman Ndiaye all expected to appear.
