AFCON 2025: host Morocco drawn in group B, full groups confirmed
Morocco, already qualified as the host nation for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), will face Gabon, Central African Republic, and Lesotho in Group B after the draw took place in Johannesburg on July 4 with Moroccan legend Marouane Chamakh in attendance.
23 teams will join Morocco in the final tournament, having been divided into four pots based on the latest FIFA rankings (June 20, 2024). Each of the twelve groups (A-L) will contain one team from each pot.
The top two teams from each group progress to the final phase, held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026.
Morocco’s qualification scenario differs due to their host status: if they finish first or second, they qualify alongside the other top team in their group. If they finish third or fourth, only the group winner advances with them.
Chamakh, overseeing the draw, expressed confidence in coach Walid Regragui’s ability to lead Morocco to success despite their quarter-final exit in the previous AFCON. He is excited about Morocco hosting the tournament, stating, “We want to show our football… We are looking forward to hosting this Cup.”
The complete group stage breakdown is as follows:
- Group A: Tunisia, Madagascar, Comoros, Gambia
- Group B: Morocco, Gabon, Central African Republic, Lesotho
- Group C: Egypt, Cape Verde, Botswana, Mauritania
- Group D: Nigeria, Benin, Libya, Rwanda
- Group E: Algeria, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Togo
- Group F: Ghana, Niger, Sudan, Angola
- Group G: Ivory Coast, 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
