The final phase of the 35th African Cup of Nations (CAN) begins this Sunday, December 21, 2025 in Morocco, with an opening match between the Moroccan national team and that of the Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdallah stadium in Rabat. The competition will continue until January 18, bringing together 24 African teams divided into six groups.
The Morocco – Comoros opening match will be broadcast live on beIN Sports ar Max 1, beIN Sports fr 2, Movistar Liga de Campeones, Sport Digital, Sport TV 7 and Channel 4, allowing football fans to follow the event from 8:00 p.m. This meeting marks the official launch of the competition, which involves six Moroccan cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, Fez and Tangier.
Format and course of the competition
The 24 teams are divided into six groups of four. At the end of the group stage, the top two from each group, as well as the four best third-placed teams, will qualify for the round of 16, then the following rounds will be played according to the knockout system.
The Tunisian selection will begin its journey next Tuesday against Uganda, at 9:00 p.m., at the Prince Moulay Abdallah stadium in Rabat, in Group C, which also includes Nigeria and Tanzania.
History and issues
This edition brings together 13 nations already crowned at the CAN, with Egypt in the lead (7 titles), followed by Cameroon (5), Ghana (4), Nigeria and Ivory Coast (3 each), and Algeria and the DRC (2 each). Tunisia, Morocco, Sudan, Zambia, South Africa and Senegal have one title each. The winners of 1962 and 1972, Ethiopia and Congo, are absent from this edition.
Since Egypt’s feat, crowned three times consecutively in 2006, 2008 and 2010, no team has retained its title over two successive editions. Ivory Coast, reigning champion after its coronation in 2023, aims to meet this challenge.
Mobilization and atmosphere
With the kick-off, all the teams have the ambition to defend their chances and seek the continental coronation, as well as the financial bonus of 10 million dollars reserved for the winner. Morocco, the host country, hopes to take advantage of the field effect and its experience to ideally launch its tournament against the Comoros.
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