THE African Cup of Nations has RETURNED for another year of mouthwatering action in Morocco!
Premier League stars such as Liverpool’s Mo Salah, Man Utd’s pair of Bryan Mbeumo and Amad Diallo, and Everton’s Iliman Ndiaye, are just some of the names taking part this winter.
However, breakout star Antoine Semenyo will not be making the trip, as Ghana FAILED to qualify for the 2025 tournament.
Ivory Coast go into the tournament as defending champions, having beaten Victor Osimhen and Nigeria 2-1 to win the 2023 iteration of the competition.
Frank Kessie and former West Ham striker Sebastien Haller were the scorers as they won the tournament on home soil.
SunSport can share everything you need to know about the tournament in Morocco!
When does AFCON start?
AFCON got rolling on Sunday, December 21.
Action from the tournament will get going with Morocco vs Comoros at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The group stage will then run until New Years Eve, with the last-16 starting on January 3.
The quarter-finals get going on January 9, the semi-finals on January 14, and the third-place play-off on January 17.
The final of the tournament will be played on Sunday, January 18.
How to watch AFCON for FREE and is there a live stream?
For the first time in history, AFCON will be shown for FREE in the UK.
52 matches will be shown across Channel 4, E4, 4Seven, Channel 4 Streaming and Channel 4 Sport YouTube channel.
AFCON groups
Group A – Comoros, Mali, Morocco, Zambia
Group B – Angola, Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe
Group C – Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda
Group D – Benin, Botswana, DR Congo, Senegal
Group E – Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
Group F – Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique
AFCON schedule
All times are GMT
Friday, December 21
Group A
Morocco 2-0 Comoros
Monday, December 22
Group A
Mali 1-1 Zambia
Group B
Egypt 2-1 Zimbabwe
South Africa 2-1 Angola
Tuesday, December 23
Group C
Nigeria 2-1 Tanzania
Tunisia 3-1 Uganda
Group D
Senegal 3-0 Botswana
DR Congo 1-0 Benin
Wednesday, December 24
Group E
Algeria 3-0 Sudan
Burkina Faso 2-1 Equatorial Guinea
Group F
Ivory Coast 1-0 Mozambique
Cameroon 1-0 Gabon
Friday, December 26
Group A
12pm – Morocco vs Mali
2:30pm – Zambia vs Comoros
Group B
5pm – Egypt vs South Africa
7:30pm – Angola vs Zimbabwe
Saturday, December 27
Group C
12pm – Nigeria vs Tunisia
2:30pm – Uganda vs Tanzania
Group D
5pm – Senegal vs DR Congo
7:30pm – Benin vs Botswana
Sunday, December 28
Group E
12pm – Algeria vs Burkina Faso
2:30pm – Equatorial Guinea vs Suda
Group F
5pm – Ivory Coast vs Cameroon
7:30pm – Gabon vs Mozambique
Monday, December 29
Group A
5pm – Comoros vs Mali, Zambia vs Morocco
Group B
7:30pm – Angola vs Egypt, Zimbabwe vs South Africa
Tuesday, December 30
Group C
5pm – Tanzania vs Tunisia, Uganda vs Algeria
Group D
7:30pm – Benin vs Senegal, Botswana vs DR Congo
Wednesday, December 31
Group E
5pm – Equatorial Guinea vs Algeria, Sudan vs Burkina Faso
Group F
Gabon vs Ivory Coast, Mozambique vs Cameroon
Saturday, January 3
Round of 16 x2
Sunday, January 4
Round of 16 x2
Monday, January 5
Round of 16 x2
Tuesday, January 6
Round of 16 x2
Friday, January 9
Quarter-final x2
Saturday, January 10
Quarter-final x2
Wednesday, January 14
Semi-final x2
Saturday, January 18
Third-place play-off
Sunday, January 19
Final
