The next Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, as announced by Confederation of African Football (CAF) president Patrice Motsepe on Friday.
“I am confident that the CAF AFCON Morocco 2025 will be extremely successful and the best AFCON in the history of this competition,” he stated.
CAF held a virtual executive committee meeting at their Cairo headquarters on Friday evening, after which Motsepe made the announcement. The tournament, initially scheduled for June and July 2025, was rescheduled to avoid a clash with the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States from June 15 to July 13 next year.
Additionally, CAF aimed to prevent overlapping with the UEFA Champions League, which concludes its group stage on December 11, 2025, and resumes on January 21, 2026.
The new AFCON dates, however, are likely to disrupt Premier League clubs, as the Christmas-New Year period is already packed with matches.
Some English media reports suggest that clubs might not release African players for the tournament, as they are only required to release them for one international championship per year, with the next World Cup taking place in 2026. CAF could counter that it is the 2025 AFCON, even though most of the tournament will occur in 2026.
Scheduling the AFCON has become increasingly challenging. A mid-year schedule worked for the 2019 edition in Egypt, avoiding conflicts with European club seasons.
However, the subsequent editions in Cameroon and Ivory Coast had to be held in January and February to avoid the rainy seasons in central and west Africa.
The qualifying draw for the 2025 AFCON is set for July 4 in Johannesburg, where 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups. Morocco will participate to gain competitive match practice but is guaranteed a spot in the 24-team finals as the host nation.
Unlike other major continental tournaments held every four years, the AFCON occurs biennially, generating significant revenue for CAF.
In a recent interview, Motsepe revealed that CAF made an $80 million profit from the last AFCON, hosted by the Ivory Coast earlier this year. This was a substantial increase from previous editions, which averaged around $4 million in profit.
The 2024 Women’s AFCON (WAFCON) has also been postponed and will now take place in Morocco from July 5-26 next year. New dates are also needed for the African Nations Championship (CHAN), originally scheduled for Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda this year, with no qualifying draw made yet.
Additionally, CAF has not provided updates on the second edition of the African Football League (AFL), initially planned as a 24-club competition but debuted last year with only eight teams.
The proposed format would involve 14 to 21 matches per club, posing logistical challenges due to limited direct flights between African countries.
John Comitis, chairman of Cape Town City, warned, “You can turn the lights off on domestic football if this (AFL) goes ahead,” highlighting concerns about the impact of the AFL on local leagues.
