{"id":33723,"date":"2025-12-18T13:21:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-18T18:21:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/"},"modified":"2025-12-18T13:21:05","modified_gmt":"2025-12-18T18:21:05","slug":"everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything You Need to Know for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations: Schedule, Teams, Groups, and Live Stream Details!"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Tournament_Format\" >Tournament Format<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Key_Players_to_Watch\" >Key Players to Watch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Group_Standings\" >Group Standings<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-4' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Group_A\" >Group A<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Group_B\" >Group B<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Group_C\" >Group C<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Group_D\" >Group D<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Group_E\" >Group E<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#Group_F\" >Group F<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#How_to_Watch\" >How to Watch<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2025\/12\/18\/everything-you-need-to-know-for-the-2025-africa-cup-of-nations-schedule-teams-groups-and-live-stream-details\/#AFCON_Schedule\" >AFCON Schedule<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/sportshub.cbsistatic.com\/i\/2025\/12\/18\/9dccd0ad-7ae1-4ed6-b1da-eec6a4005858\/afcon.jpg\" alt=\"African Cup of Nations\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The African Cup of Nations kicks off this Sunday in Morocco, and Ivory Coast will be looking to defend its 2023 championship title. However, the journey won&#8217;t be easy, as numerous emerging teams are anticipated to pose a significant challenge, given that no nation has won the tournament, the highest accolade in African football, since Egypt&#8217;s three consecutive victories from 2006 to 2010.<\/p>\n<p>This year&#8217;s tournament features 24 competing teams and will culminate with the final at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on January 18. The format expanded from 16 to 24 teams in 2019, and while most major European clubs will be missing key players during the group stages due to this timing, the winter break means they may only lose their stars for one or two games. This scenario will be particularly beneficial for teams like Sunderland, who are coping with six players absent for the tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Looking ahead, AFCON will take place in the summer in 2027 to mitigate the issue of player availability, but with the Club World Cup scheduled for 2029, subsequent editions will revert to winter alignments to fit with the global football calendar.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tournament_Format\"><\/span>Tournament Format<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Morocco automatically qualified as the host, while the remaining 23 teams had to navigate through a qualifying tournament. Notably, World Cup entrants like Cape Verde didn&#8217;t make the cut for AFCON, finishing last in their group. Ghana also missed out for the first time since 2004, despite representing CAF in the upcoming 2026 World Cup.<\/p>\n<p>In the tournament, the top two teams from each group will move on to the Round of 16, along with the four best third-placed teams. In the event of a tie, several tiebreakers come into play, including head-to-head points and goal differences.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Players_to_Watch\"><\/span>Key Players to Watch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Mohamed Salah, representing Egypt, is set to be a standout figure as he heads to AFCON while speculation swirls about his future at Liverpool after the transfer window opens post-group stages. Below are some notable players by their leagues:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Premier League<\/strong>: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool\/Egypt), Michail Antonio (West Ham\/Jamaica), and more.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bundesliga<\/strong>: Nicholas Jackson (Bayern Munich\/Cameroon) and others.<\/li>\n<li><strong>La Liga<\/strong>: Nicolas Pepe (Villarreal\/Ivory Coast).<\/li>\n<li><strong>Serie A<\/strong>: Ademola Lookman (Atalanta\/Nigeria).<\/li>\n<li><strong>T\u00fcrkiye Super Lig<\/strong>: Victor Osimhen (Galatasaray\/Nigeria).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Group_Standings\"><\/span>Group Standings<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Group_A\"><\/span>Group A<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Comoros<\/li>\n<li>Mali<\/li>\n<li>Morocco<\/li>\n<li>Zambia<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Group_B\"><\/span>Group B<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Angola<\/li>\n<li>Egypt<\/li>\n<li>South Africa<\/li>\n<li>Zimbabwe<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Group_C\"><\/span>Group C<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Nigeria<\/li>\n<li>Tanzania<\/li>\n<li>Tunisia<\/li>\n<li>Uganda<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Group_D\"><\/span>Group D<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Benin<\/li>\n<li>Botswana<\/li>\n<li>Democratic Republic of the Congo<\/li>\n<li>Senegal<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Group_E\"><\/span>Group E<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Algeria<\/li>\n<li>Burkina Faso<\/li>\n<li>Equatorial Guinea<\/li>\n<li>Sudan<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Group_F\"><\/span>Group F<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Cameroon<\/li>\n<li>Gabon<\/li>\n<li>Ivory Coast<\/li>\n<li>Mozambique<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Watch\"><\/span>How to Watch<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>All matches of the tournament can be streamed live on Fubo (offering a free trial for new users).<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"AFCON_Schedule\"><\/span>AFCON Schedule<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>Group Stage Matches:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>December 21<\/strong>: Morocco vs. Comoros at 2 p.m.<\/li>\n<li><strong>December 22<\/strong>: Mali vs. Zambia at 9 a.m.; Egypt vs. Zimbabwe at 8 p.m.<\/li>\n<li>Full schedule continues through December 31, leading into knockout rounds from January 3-18.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>Fan Take<\/strong>: The African Cup of Nations is not just a tournament; it embodies the spirit and passion of African football. For fans, witnessing the rise of up-and-coming teams and stars like Mohamed Salah could reshape the landscape of the sport for years to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The African Cup of Nations kicks off this Sunday in Morocco, and Ivory Coast will be looking to defend its 2023 championship title. However, the journey won&#8217;t be easy, as numerous emerging teams are anticipated to pose a significant challenge, given that no nation has won the tournament, the highest accolade in African football, since [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[7573,913,939,40,3108,558,1817,46,191,45,559,1291],"class_list":{"0":"post-33723","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-africa","9":"tag-cup","10":"tag-details","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-groups","13":"tag-live","14":"tag-nations","15":"tag-news","16":"tag-schedule","17":"tag-soccer","18":"tag-stream","19":"tag-teams"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33723"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33723\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}