CAF prepares for AFCON 2025
Written by Deborah Oyinloye on February 21, 2024
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has provisionally agreed to hold the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in July and August next year in Morocco, according to a CAF official on Tuesday, February 20, 2024.
Earlier, CAF President Patrice Motsepe had not confirmed the dates for the next AFCON, leaving organizers with limited time to arrange qualifying matches scheduled for January and February. However, scheduling the tournament for June and July 2025 would overlap with FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup set to occur in North America.
An anonymous member of the competitions committee disclosed on Monday that “there was an agreement in principle between CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation for the AFCON to be held during the summer, specifically in July and August 2025.”
“This agreement was reached with FIFA’s support after discussions that began several months ago and intensified during the last edition, which concluded this month in Ivory Coast,” the source added. “The proposed dates are July 20 to August 16 or 17, 2025.”
The last two AFCON tournaments were both rescheduled from their original dates. The 2021 tournament in Cameroon was played in January and February 2022, while the most recent edition, initially planned for June and July last year, was postponed due to weather concerns. Qualification matches for the 2025 AFCON have not commenced yet. A preliminary round is set to take place next month.
The preliminary draw for the 2025 AFCON was conducted at the Confederation of African Football headquarters in Cairo, Egypt, following the conclusion of the 34th edition hosted by Ivory Coast. The draw involved the eight lowest-ranked teams according to the FIFA ranking: Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia, and Eswatini. Matches will be played on a home-and-away basis during the FIFA window from March 18 to March 26.
The full list of the AFCON preliminary draw is as follows:
– Somalia vs. Eswatini
– Sao Tome vs. South Sudan
– Chad vs. Mauritius
– Djibouti vs. Liberia
The 2023 AFCON, held in Côte d’Ivoire, was won by the host team, the Elephants, who defeated the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1 in the final.
Author: Deborah Oyinloye
With an interest in media, Deborah aims to impart the lives of people positively.
