Morocco is preparing to stage a massive football celebration for the second time since 1988. Back then, only eight teams competed. But this time, 24 teams will compete for the title.
The ceremony is anticipated to include African football legends such as Egypt’s Essam El Hadary, Cameroon’s Patrick Mboma, Tunisia’s Aymen Mathlouthi, and Ivory Coast’s Gervinho.
CAF reported that the ceremony will include a music performance by famous singers such as Morocco’s Hatim Ammor, Congolese sensation Maître Gims, and Moroccan music producer RedOne.
On Saturday, CAF also presented the official logo for the 2025 AFCON, which wonderfully captures Morocco’s traditional history. It shows the AFCON cup covered in zellige, the country’s traditional mosaic art.
The qualified nations are placed into four pots according to their FIFA rankings:
Pot 1 includes Morocco, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria, and Côte d’Ivoire.
Pot 2: Cameroon, Mali, Tunisia, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burkina Faso.
Pot 3 includes Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Uganda, Equatorial Guinea, and Benin.
Pot 4 includes Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Sudan, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.
During the draw, the national teams will be divided into six groups of four. The top two teams from each group, together with the four best third-place teams, will advance to the knockout stage.
Egypt has won the most AFCON titles in history, with seven. The defending champions, Côte d’Ivoire, have won the trophy three times. Cameroon has won the award five times, Nigeria three, and Algeria two.
Morocco won its solitary title in 1976, when the tournament was hosted in Ethiopia. However, the event did not feature a knockout stage. Instead, the top four teams from the first round competed in a final group stage. Each squad faced the other three, and the team with the most points was crowned champion.