CAF announces new dates for 2025 AFCON in Morocco

• Published On: 22 June 2024 at 15:07

The next Africa Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, according to 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," stated the captain.

CAF conducted a virtual executive committee at their Cairo headquarters on Friday evening, following which Motsepe delivered the news.

The AFCON was originally set for June and July 2025, but was relocated to avoid a clash with the inaugural Club World Cup in the United States, which will take place from June 15 to July 13 next year.

CAF officials also had to prevent scheduling conflicts with the UEFA Champions League in Europe.

Matchday six of the elite European club championship concludes on December 11, 2025, with matchday seven starting on January 21, 2026.

However, the new dates are expected to irritate many Premier League clubs, given the Christmas-New Year period is hectic, with teams playing a lot of games in a short period.


According to English media sources, clubs may refuse to release African stars because they are only required to do so for one international championship per year, with the next World Cup scheduled for 2026.

CAF could argue that it is the 2025 AFCON, but the majority of the tournament will take place the next year.

Finding suitable dates for the AFCON, a 24-nation tournament won by hosts the Ivory Coast in February, has grown increasingly challenging.

A move to mid-year worked well for the 2019 edition in Egypt's scorching heat because it avoided clashing with European club seasons.

The ensuing rounds in Cameroon and the Ivory Coast were held in January and February to avoid rainy seasons in central and west Africa, resulting in a significant rise in profits.

The qualification draw for the 2025 AFCON is due for July 4 in Johannesburg, with 48 aspirants grouped into 12 groups.

Morocco will compete for competitive match practice, although as hosts, they will be guaranteed a spot in the 24-team finals.


Unlike the four-year European Championship, Copa America, and Asian Cup, the AFCON is staged every two years since it generates the majority of CAF money.

In a recent television interview, Motsepe stated that CAF profited $80 million (€75 million) from the past AFCON, which was held by the Ivory Coast in January and February of this year.

This was a significant increase from prior editions, which created an average profit of roughly four million dollars, according to the South African billionaire.

The 2024 Women's AFCON (WAFCON) has also been rescheduled to take place in Morocco from July 5-26 of next year.

New dates will also need to be sought for the African Nations Championship (CHAN), which was previously set for Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda this year.

The qualifying draw for a competition restricted to home-based footballers, won by Senegal in Algeria last year, has yet to be announced, and CAF has not explained the delay.

CAF has also not announced plans for a second season of the African Football League (AFL), which was once known as the African Super League.

It was supposed to be a 24-club mini-league and knockout competition involving the continent's top clubs, but it began last year with only eight teams competing in a three-round format.

If the original structure were implemented, clubs would play between 14 and 21 matches across a continent with restricted direct flights between countries.

"You can turn off the lights on domestic football if this (AFL) goes ahead," warned John Comitis, chairman of top-tier South African club Cape Town City.