Africa Cup of Nations 2025: Dates, Betting, Draw & Preview

The upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Morocco promises to be a thrilling celebration of international football on the continent.

Reigning champions Ivory Coast will be eager to retain the title, but several other teams have a realistic chance of lifting the prestigious trophy.

Read on as we look at the dates, betting and draw for AFCON 2025, before predicting which team will emerge victorious in the final on January 18.

AFCON 2025 – Dates

Here are the dates for AFCON 2025:

• Group stage: December 21-31.
• Last 16: January 3-6.
• Quarter-finals: January 9-10.
• Semi-finals: January 14.
• Third-place play-off: January 17.
• Final: January 18.

AFCON 2025 – Outright Betting

AFCON always generates a massive wave of activity in the betting industry and this year’s edition is guaranteed to generate significant revenues.

Operators such as U Spin will be inundated with requests for new accounts. The all-in-one platform offers a vast array of games, sports betting and more, making it the ideal platform for bettors.

The outright market is always one of the most popular whenever major tournaments are staged and the following odds garner plenty of interest:

• Morocco – 11/4
• Egypt – 11/2
• Algeria – 6/1
• Senegal – 6/1
• Nigeria – 9/1
• Tunisia – 12/1
• Mali – 12/1
• Ivory Coast – 12/1
• Cameroon – 16/1
• South Africa – 40/1
• DR Congo – 50/1
• Angola – 66/1
• Burkina Faso – 80/1
• Zambia – 80/1
• Gabon – 80/1
• Equatorial Guinea – 100/1
• Mozambique – 100/1
• Sudan – 100/1
• Benin – 100/1
• Comoros – 150/1
• Tanzania – 150/1
• Uganda – 200/1
• Zimbabwe – 350/1
• Botswana – 500/1

AFCON 2025 – Group Stage Draw

Here is the group stage draw for AFCON 2025:

• Group A: Comoros, Mali, Morocco, Zambia.
• Group B: Angola, Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe.
• Group C: Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda.
• Group D: Benin, Botswana, DR Congo, Senegal.
• Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan.
• Group F: Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique.

The group stage is played as a round-robin. The top two teams in each section progress to the last-16 alongside the best four third-placed sides.

AFCON 2025 becomes a straight knockout from this point onwards, with extra-time and penalties used to determine the outcome of games if required.

AFCON 2025 – Preview

Tournament hosts Morocco are one of the strongest sides teams in Africa and should have no problem navigating their way out of Group A.

However, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists have not won the AFCON title since 1976 and are a risky betting proposition, despite playing on home soil.

Egypt are the headline act in Group B, but will not have things their own way against resurgent South Africa. Angola could also be troublesome.

Nigeria and Tunisia should power through from Group C and it would be no surprise if one of them made it all the way to the final on January 18.

Senegal will fancy their chances of topping Group D. The 2021 champions have a strong squad and will be desperate to clinch the title for just the second time.

Algeria are the favourites to win Group E, but they would be well-advised not to underestimate the threat posed by Burkina Faso.

Brentford’s Dango Ouattara and Sunderland’s Bertrand Traore have the ability to cause problems in this tournament and they could easily upset the odds.

Ivory Coast’s remarkable success in 2023 sent shockwaves across the continent, and they are unlikely to give up the title without a fight.

They have been paired with Cameroon in the group stage, and the winners of that game will probably be the team which goes furthest in the tournament.

While picking a winner of AFCON 2025 is no easy task, Senegal appeal as the value bet in an extremely competitive market.

Kalidou Koulibaly, El Hadji Malick Diouf, Pape Matar Sarr, Sadio Mane, Nicolas Jackson, Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr form the backbone of a hugely talented squad.

Their friendly victory over England at the City Ground in Nottingham earlier this year highlighted their ability to rub shoulders with higher-ranked nations.

If everything clicks into gear for Senegal, they could be extremely tough to stop as the tournament progresses.

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