When is the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations? Date, Teams And Host Nation

When is the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations? This question has been answered in this article. We will also find out the teams and host nation for the tournament.

The upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for 2025, will be hosted by Morocco, marking the country’s second time staging the finals. Morocco previously served as the host nation for the AFCON in 1988. Originally slated to host again in 2015, Morocco relinquished its hosting duties due to concerns surrounding the Ebola virus outbreak, leading to the relocation of the tournament to Equatorial Guinea.

In contrast to previous editions, the 2025 finals are expected to take place during June and July, coinciding with the summer months in the northern hemisphere. This scheduling shift is intended to avoid complications with the rainy season, as was experienced during the 2023 event held in the Ivory Coast. The 2023 tournament was rescheduled to early 2024 to circumvent weather-related issues. However, hosting the AFCON in June and July is generally preferred as it minimizes conflicts with major club competitions in Europe.

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Initially, Guinea was selected as the host nation for the 2025 AFCON. However, due to concerns regarding their preparations for the tournament, Guinea was stripped of its hosting rights. Following a new vote in September 2023, Morocco was chosen as the replacement host for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The bids for the 2025 finals came from Algeria, Morocco, Zambia, and a joint bid by Benin and Nigeria. Meanwhile, the 2027 AFCON bids included Algeria, Botswana, Egypt, and a collaborative effort from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. CAF conducted comprehensive evaluations, including on-site inspections by assessment teams and an independent assessor, but the ultimate choice rests with the CAF Executive Committee.

Over the past decade, the history of hosting the Africa Cup of Nations has seen various challenges and changes. South Africa replaced war-torn Libya in 2013, Cameroon’s readiness was questioned in 2019 leading to Egypt’s hosting, and Cameroon successfully hosted the delayed 2021 edition due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Additionally, Cote d’Ivoire’s 2023 Afcon was postponed by six months due to concerns about the rainy season in West Africa.