The 2023 Africa Cup of Nations was widely seen as one of the most engaging and exciting iterations of the tournament in recent years.
The month-long spectacle in the Ivory Coast concluded on February 10, 2024, when the hosts faced Nigeria in the final in Abidjan. After falling a goal behind, the Elephants came back to win the match 2-1 and lift the the trophy, with striker Sebastien Haller — who took time out of football following a cancer diagnosis in 2022 — scoring the decisive goal.
Attention now turns to the next AFCON. Given its position as a major international tournament that can sometimes prove disruptive to the biggest teams and competitions in European football, the planning and logistics around the event are key.
Here, The Sporting News details everything you need to know about the next Africa Cup of Nations, including the all-important dates of the tournament, the host cities, and the stadiums that will stage the games.
MORE: Who has won the most AFCON titles?
When and where is next AFCON?
The next Africa Cup of Nations starts in December 2025 and will take place in Morocco.
It will be the second time the north African nation has staged the finals. They first hosted the AFCON in 1988 and were scheduled to do so again in 2015, but the tournament had to be relocated to Equatorial Guinea due to the Ebola virus outbreak.
On June 21, 2024, it was confirmed that the tournament would take place from December 21 2025, and run until January 18, 2026. That decision came despite previous indications that it would be held in June and July, the northern hemisphere’s summer months. The 2023 event was moved to early 2024 to avoid the rainy season in the Ivory Coast, but a June-July scheduling is usually preferable as it does not cause scheduling problems with the major club competitions in Europe.
CAF president Dr. Patrice Motsepe said: “I am confident that the AFCON Morocco 2025 will be extremely successful and will be the best AFCON in the history of this competition.
Guinea had been chosen as the hosts for 2025, but they were stripped of those rights amid concerns about their preparations to stage the tournament. Morocco were selected as hosts following a new vote in September 2023.
AFCON 2025 dates: When will the tournament take place?
It was confirmed in June 2024 that the next AFCON will begin on Sunday, December 21, 2025 and end with the final on Sunday, January 18, 2026.
The 2025 tournament was initially slated to take place in June and July, 2025.
Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), said in January that the new-look FIFA Club World Cup could cause a scheduling conflict with the 2025 AFCON finals. FIFA’s revamped competition will be staged in the United States from June 15 to July 13, 2025.
“We want the Cup of Nations to take place when it is most favourable and convenient for the tournament,” Motsepe said. “We are still engaging with FIFA about the dates.”
Motsepe said there had been “complex and at times challenging discussions with various interested parties, in the light of the extensive international and domestic match calendars” when it came to trying to finalise plans for the AFCON.
AFCON 2025 stadiums, venues, host cities
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will be staged across six cities in Morocco.
Tangier, Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Marrakesh, and Fez will all stage matches at the tournament.
Many of the six venues are having their capacities expanded ahead of the finals and with Morocco co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain.
| Stadium | City | Capacity |
| Ibn Batouta Stadium | Tangier | 65,000 (expanding to 75,000) |
| Moulay Abdellah Stadium | Rabat | 50,000 (expanding to 69,500) |
| Mohammed V Stadium | Casablanca | 45,891 |
| Adrar Stadium | Agadir | 45,480 (expanding to 70,000) |
| Marrakesh Stadium | Marrakesh | 45,240 |
| Fez Stadium | Fez | 45,000 |
Who has qualified for AFCON 2025? List of teams at finals
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will see 24 teams enter the group stage.
As of November 14, 2024, 11 teams are assured of a place at the tournament.
Teams qualified for AFCON 2025
| Team | Qualification method |
| Morocco | Host nation |
| Burkina Faso | Group L winners or runners-up |
| Cameroon | Group J winners or runners-up |
| Algeria | Group E winners |
| DR Congo | Group H winners or runners-up |
| Senegal | Group L winners or runners-up |
| Egypt | Group C winners or runners-up |
| Angola | Group F winners |
| Equatorial Guinea | Group E winners or runners-up |
| Ivory Coast | Group G winners or runners-up |
| Nigeria | Group D winners |
| Gabon | Group B winners or runners-up |
| Uganda | Group K winners or runners-up |
| South Africa | Group K winners or runners-up |
| Tunisia | Group A winners or runners-up |
Qualification for AFCON 2025 began in 2024 and will run until November. The lowest-ranked nations competed in a preliminary round before the main group stage got going in September.
AFCON 2025 qualifying schedule
- Preliminary round: March 18-26, 2024
- First and second days: September 2-10, 2024
- Third and fourth days: October 7-15, 2024
- Fifth and sixth days: November 11-19, 2024
Who has won the most Africa Cup of Nations titles?
Egypt have been the dominant nation in Africa Cup of Nations history with The Pharaohs winning seven titles including the first edition of the competition back in 1957.
Six other nations have won the trophy more than once with an overall total of 15 winners of the tournament.
| Rank | Nation | AFCON titles | Years won |
| 1. | Egypt | 7 | 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010 |
| 2. | Cameroon | 5 | 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017 |
| 3. | Ghana | 4 | 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982 |
| 4. | Ivory Coast | 3 | 1992, 2015, 2023 |
| = | Nigeria | 3 | 1980, 1994, 2013 |
| = | Algeria | 2 | 1990, 2019 |
| = | DR Congo | 2 | 1968, 1974 |
| 8. | Zambia | 1 | 2012 |
| = | Tunisia | 1 | 2004 |
| = | Sudan | 1 | 1970 |
| = | Senegal | 1 | 2021 |
| = | Ethiopia | 1 | 1962 |
| = | Morocco | 1 | 1976 |
| = | South Africa | 1 | 1996 |
| = | Congo | 1 | 1972 |