Côted’Ivoire

The draw for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 qualifiers was held in Johannesburg on Thursday.

Forty-eight African countries will vie for a spot in the 35th edition of the biennial African showpiece, aiming to dethrone coach Emerse Faé’s Côte d’Ivoire as continental kings. Faé, alongside Moroccan legend Marouane Chamakh, assisted with the draw and saw his side placed in a challenging group as they bid to defend their title.

Côte d’Ivoire, the defending champions after their 2-1 victory over Nigeria in Abidjan earlier this year, were placed in Group G alongside former champions Zambia, Sierra Leone, and Chad

Hosts Morocco were placed in Group B, set to face Gabon, the Central African Republic, and Lesotho. With the assurance of participating as hosts, Morocco will approach this qualifying campaign with less pressure.

The qualifiers will commence in September 2024 and conclude in November 2024. The top two teams from each of the eleven groups, excluding the hosts’ group, will qualify for the competition.

The TotalEnergies CAF AFCON is Africa’s premier sporting event, and the next championship will be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, in Morocco.

Groups:

Group A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, Gambia
Group B: Morocco, Gabon, Central African Republic, Lesotho
Group C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Mauritania, Botswana
Group D: Nigeria, Benin, Libya, Rwanda
Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Liberia
Group F: Ghana, Angola, Sudan, Niger
Group G: Côte d’Ivoire, Zambia, Sierra Leone, Chad
Group H: DR Congo, Guinea, Tanzania, Ethiopia
Group I: Mali, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Eswatini
Group J: Cameroon, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe
Group K: South Africa, Uganda, Congo, South Sudan
Group L: Senegal, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Burundi