TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Group Stage Qualifiers Begin This Wednesday

The group stage of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 officially kicks off this afternoon, marking the start of the journey for teams vying for a spot in the 35th edition of the continent’s premier football tournament.

After the highly successful TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2023 in Côte d’Ivoire earlier this year, Morocco is now ready to take the spotlight, preparing to welcome Africa and the world for another exciting chapter of African football.

This week, 48 African nations will compete across 12 groups of four teams each, with the top two teams in each group securing a place in the finals in Morocco next year. Morocco, as the tournament host, has already secured their place in the finals but has been placed in a group alongside Gabon, Central African Republic, and Lesotho, all of whom will be aiming to gather as many points as possible.

The reigning African champions, Côte d’Ivoire, will face former champions Zambia in their opening Group G match of the qualifiers. Chipolopolo, who had a disappointing performance in Côte d’Ivoire, will be looking to start their campaign on a positive note, although they face a tough challenge against the in-form defending champions. Sierra Leone and Chad are the other teams in Group G, aiming to upset the two former champions.

AFCON silver-medalists Nigeria are placed in Group D with Benin, Libya, and Rwanda, while former champions Senegal will navigate a tricky Group L, which includes Burkina Faso, Malawi, and Burundi.

The most successful nation in AFCON history, Egypt, will open their Group C campaign against the rising Cape Verde team. The competition for the top two spots in Group C promises to be intense, with Mauritania and Botswana also in the mix.

All group stage matches will be played on a home-and-away basis, with the top two teams from each group qualifying for the finals. However, special scenarios apply to Group B, which does not include Morocco, as well as groups involving Morocco, given their status as tournament hosts.

The top two teams in Group B will automatically qualify for the finals. In groups that include Morocco, the following rules apply:

• If Morocco finishes first in their group, they qualify along with the second-place team.
• If Morocco finishes second, they and the first-place team will qualify.
• If Morocco finishes third or fourth, they will still qualify along with the first-place team.

Fans can follow all the action from the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 qualifiers in real time across all CAF digital platforms.

MATCH DAY 01 FIXTURES: