AFCON 2025 Predictions & Betting tips

Find our free AFCON 2025 prediction, as well as our expert predictions on all the matches of the African Cup of Nations. Lots of information for your sports betting!

Africa Cup of Nations 2025 predictions and presentation

You can follow the African Cup of Nations at the end of 2025 on SportyTrader! From 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, the African Cup of Nations will be held in Morocco for the 35th time. A great opportunity to place bets, compare odds and follow all the matches live.

After Senegal's long-awaited maiden triumph in 2022 and Côte d'Ivoire's victory on home soil in 2024, Africa's finest nations will be trying to win the trophy and emerge as the best African team of the moment.

How do you bet on the African Cup of Nations? What do you need to know about the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations? Everything is explained below. Get your CAN predictions ready, as the tournament looks set to be hotly contested!

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AFCON prediction of 2025 winner: who will win the 2025 African Cup of Nations?

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which is being played in Morocco, could well go in favour of the home team.

As is often the case, the location of the CAN proves to be decisive in shaping the outcome of the competition. With a superb talented generation of players such as Hakimi and Aguerd, on a fantastic unbeaten run and with home advantage, we can see the Atlas Lions going all the way!

That being said, we must not overlook nations such as Côte d'Ivoire, Algeria, Senegal and Egypt, who are also expected to be in contention. Our AFCON prediction for the 2025 edition: Morocco champions! 

CAN 2025 prediction - odds on the favourites for the title

• Morocco - 2.88
• Senegal - 4.50
• Nigeria - 6.00
• Algeria - 9.00
• Ivory Coast - 9.00
• Egypt - 9.50
• Cameroon - 26.00
• Mali - 26.00

Odds taken from Bet365

AFCON top scorer prediction

If you want to place outright bets, there are other options available besides betting on the future winner of the competition. For example, you can bet on the competition's top scorer! 

To find out all the Africa Cup of Nations odds, be sure to check out our AFCON odds comparator where we give you the best odds available from the different bookmakers for each match and each bet.

Here are the names to watch before the competition kicks off:

• Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
• Hamza Igamane (Morocco)
• Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
• Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)
• Amine Gouiri (Algeria)
• Sadio Mané (Senegal)
• Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

If you want to try this type of bet, the SportyTrader team can only advise you to bet on Victor Osimhen.

The former Charleroi, LOSC and Napoli player has been in excellent form since his arrival at Galatasaray, scoring six goals in five matches for the Super Eagles in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

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AFCON 2025 - Quarter-final predictions

After getting 7 of our 8 round of 16 predictions correct, things are sure to get much tougher as we enter into the quarter-finals! Only eight teams remain in the quest for African footballing glory and there are plenty of big-hitters still in the field. Check out the matchups below:

• Mali vs Senegal: 09 January, 16:00 GMT
• Cameroon vs Morocco: 09 January, 19:00 GMT
• Algeria vs Nigeria: 10 January, 16:00 GMT
• Egypt vs Ivory Coast: 10 January, 19:00 GMT

There are some blockbuster fixtures here in what is sure to be an intense quarter-final. To start, Mali did wonderfully to make it past Tunisia despite being reduced to 10 men. Still, Senegal are looking in title-winning form and should be able to book their ticket to the semi-final for the third time in the last four AFCON tournaments. Cameroon will be a big test for hosts Morocco, but with Brahim Diaz in sensational form and Hakimi back in the side, the Atlas Lions should have too much quality for the Indomitable Lions.

Sunday sees two very tough-to-call matches. First, 2019 winners Algeria take on 2013 champions Nigeria in Marrakech. Algeria scraped by a tough DR Congo team in the 119th minute while Nigeria cruised past Mozambique 4-0. With Lookman and Osimhen firing on all cylinders, this Super Eagles side is going to be a real handful going forward. We back Nigeria to go through. Egypt and Ivory Coast conclude the quarter-finals in spectacular fashion. Defending champions Ivory Coast come into this match as slight favourites, owing to their 3-0 win over Burkina Faso while Egypt needed extra time to get past Benin 3-1. However, the duo of Salah and Marmoush is one of the very best in this competition and could be enough to see the Pharaohs through.

AFCON 2025 - Round of 16 predictions

The group stage is in the books and we move on to the knockout rounds with 16 teams remaining. Take a look at the complete fixture list below as well as our thoughts on which teams will go through to the quarter-finals!

• Senegal 3 - 1 Sudan
• Mali 1 - 1 Tunisia (Mali wins 3-2 on penalties)
• Morocco 1 - 0 Tanzania
• South Africa 1 - 2 Cameroon
• Egypt 3 - 1 Benin (After extra time)
• Nigeria 4 - 0 Mozambique
• Algeria 1 - 0 DR Congo (After extra time)
• Ivory Coast 3 - 0 Burkina Faso

Kicking things off on Saturday, Senegal are rightfully one of the top favourites to win AFCON 2025 and have been in impressive attacking form. They should cruise path Sudan by a multiple-goal margin of victory. Mali vs Tunisia presents one of the trickier matches to call in this round as the teams look to be very evenly matched on paper. This one very likely could go to extra time but we believe Tunisia will ultimately edge it.

Tanzania made history by qualifying from the group stage for the first time in their history, as well as becoming the first team to make it out with just two points. Unfortunately for them, their run will end here against a heavily favoured Moroccan team. South Africa and Cameroon is another really close matchup. The Indomitable Lions, led by Bryan Mbeumo, should have that extra bit of quality needed to make it past Bafana Bafana.

Mohamed Salah seeks his first major title with Egypt and the Pharaohs should have a relatively straightforward win over Benin. Nigeria, one of only two teams to win all three group games, should have too much firepower for Mozambique to deal with. Algeria have one of the most difficult first round fixtures available against a tough DR Congo side, but we lean towards the Fennec Foxes to get the job done.

Finally, defending champions Ivory Coast take on Burkina Faso. This is another match that is far from straightforward with Burkina Faso impressing in the group stage. Still, we believe Ivory Coast should keep their title defence dreams alive and progress to the QF.

Our AFCON 2025 group prediction results

In addition to making your football predictions on the winner of the competition, you can also predict how the group stage will play out for the 2025 African Cup of Nations. Who will qualify? Who will top their group? Which teams will fail even before the knockout stages?

With qualification now underway we're still waiting until the group stages at the tournament are officially confirmed. Below you can see the different groups that have been drawn to try and reach the knockout phase:

• Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros
• Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
• Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania
• Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana
• Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan
• Group F: Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

Our experts will be offering you predictions on each of the matches in this knockout phase of the African Cup of Nations, and will be doing so throughout the tournament, so don't hesitate to try a few bets. Overall, the odds offered on the matches should be good too. It would be a shame not to take advantage, given the welcome bonuses currently on offer on the market.

You can also find our predictions for the group winners below.

Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros

Hosts Morocco were able to take care of business, advancing with a relatively comfortable 7 points from 9. Mali join the Nort African outfit in the knockout stages after drawing all three of their games to finish second with 3 points.

Our experts correctly predicted Morocco and Mali to qualify and the favourites were able to deliver!

Our prediction: Morocco and Mali qualify!✅✅

Group A results

1. Morocco - 7 points
2. Mali - 3 points
3. Comoros - 2 points
4. Zambia - 2 points

Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe

One of the favourites to win AFCON 2025, Egypt had the top spot locked up after the second round of fixtures. The key match for them was their 1-0 win over South Africa, which they came away with the full three points despite being reduced to 10 men in the first half. South Africa did what was expected of them, beating Angola and Zimbabwe to lock up second place as they look to improve upon 2023's third-place finish.

Our prediction: Egypt and South Africa qualify!✅✅

Group B results

1. Egypt - 7 points
2. South Africa - 6 points
3. Angola - 2 points
4. Zimbabwe - 1 point

Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania

Nigeria were one of only two teams to come through the group stage with a 100% winning record. The Super Eagles were soaring, thanks to the attacking firepower of Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen. Tunisia won their opener against Uganda, but made things difficult after a loss to Nigeria and a 1-1 draw with Tanzania in the final round of fixtures. Tunisia will be seeking their second AFCON title and first since 2004. Tanzania qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time in history after finishing as one of the best third-place teams. They were also the first team ever to qualify on just 2 points!

Our prediction: Nigeria and Tunisia qualify!✅✅

Group C results

1. Nigeria - 9 points
2. Tunisia - 4 points
3. Tanzania - 2 points
4. Uganda - 1 point

Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana

Senegal are looking like real contenders to take down this tournament. The Lions of Taranga have been one of the continent's most consistent sides over the last 10 years, winning the title in 2021 and finshing as runners-up in 2019. They've now made the knockout rounds for five consecutive AFCON tournaments. Joining them is DR Congo, who we had highlighted as potential dark horse contenders. They've been living up to the billing so far, putting forward impressive displays which included a 1-1 draw with Senegal. Will the Leopards be able to take the next step after their fourth-place finish in 2025? Finally, Benin's single victory was enough for them to go through as a top 4 third-place team.

Our prediction: Senegal and DR Congo qualify!✅✅

Group D results

1. Senegal - 7 points
2. DR Congo - 7 points
3. Benin - 3 points
4. Botswana - 0 points

Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan

Algeria were the second team to win all three of their group stage games. Former Man City winger Riyad Mahrez was scintillating in the group stage, scoring 3 goals and channeling some of the 2019 performances during which he led the Fennec Foxes to the AFCON title. Burkina Faso came in second, doing well to defeat both Sudan and Equatorial Guinea. Sudan's 3 points was enough for them to get through as a third-place team.

Our prediction: Algeria and Burkina Faso qualify!✅✅

Group D results

1. Algeria - 9 points
2. Burkina Faso - 6 points
3. Sudan - 3 points
4. Equatorial Guinea - 0 points

Group F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

It was a wild finish in the Group of Death. After looking like Ivory Coast was going to finish third, the defending champions managed to overturn a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in stoppage time and shoot up to first place! Cameroon did well to claim 7 points and finish second, while Mozambique's 1-0-2 record was enough to see them qualify in third.

Our prediction: Ivory Coast and Cameroon qualify!✅✅

Group F results

1. Ivory Coast - 7 points
2. Cameroon - 7 points
3. Mozambique - 3 points
4. Gabon - 0 points

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Beginner punters - How does AFCON 2025 work?

As in the last edition, the 2025 African Cup of Nations will pit 24 qualified teams against each other. From 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, the competition is divided into two phases: the group phase and the knockout phase.

The group phase divides the African teams into 6 groups of 4, in which they must finish in the top two places to reach the last 16.

There is also the possibility of qualifying as the best third-placed team. Four of the six nations that finish third in their group will be eligible for the rest of the competition. 

The second, knockout phase is then very traditional, with single matches in the last 16, followed by quarter-finals, semi-finals, a match for third place and the grand final.

If we were to sum it all up in a few points, here's what you need to remember:

• 24 qualified teams
• Group stage (6 groups of four)
• Top 2 teams in each group qualify for the round of 16
• 4 best third-placed teams (out of 6) qualify for the last 16
• Knockout matches from the round of 16 to the final
• Extra time and penalty shoot-outs in the event of a tie from the round of 16 onwards
• Third-place is determined by a match between the losing semi-finalists

In the end, the African Cup of Nations is organised in much the same way as the European Championships, so there should be no misunderstandings on the punters' side. Keep this format of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in mind when making your predictions.

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How to make a good prediction on an African Cup of Nations football match?

Would you like to predict the 2025 African Cup of Nations like an African football expert? There are a few tips you need to know.

Here, according to SportyTrader's experts, is what you need to do to ensure you are placing the best possible bets on the competition. Making informed and calculated predictions on the African Cup of Nations is undoubtedly the key.

• Watch the latest matches played in Africa
• Study the list of absentees for each AFCON match
• Know exactly what is at stake in the match
• Take into account the history of head-to-head meetings
• Take note of the venue and time of the African Cup of Nations match

5 basic practices that you absolutely must adopt before predicting African Cup of Nations matches, otherwise you could be in for some nasty surprises. 

For more details on each of these five tips, please read on. The SportyTrader editorial team provides a brief explanation for each.

Watch the latest matches played in Africa

Naturally, the first thing you’ll want to do when predicting the result of an AFCON fixture is to watch recent matches played by the two teams.

You need to note the scores and results obtained in the last matches (wins, draws, defeats), but more importantly, the statistics obtained in the game. And don't hesitate to re-watch the matches for a closer examination.

Does the team have several clean-sheets to its name? Has it shone offensively recently? What about the number of chances created and conceded? Is the team creating a high number of expected goals? Is the team more focused on possession or is it a counter-attacking side?

The answers to these questions will give you an overall picture of each African team. Don't underestimate them in your analysis!

Study the list of absentees for each AFCON match

Another good idea during the African Cup of Nations is to take note of any players absent for the match you want to bet on. 

As you know, modern football relies heavily on individuals, especially when the matches are expected to be tough and tense, as is often the case at the African Cup of Nations. So watch out for any key absences!

For example, if a team's first-choice goalkeeper is injured or suspended, if a team's top scorer is ill, or simply if some of the usual substitutes are unavailable, it's best to avoid betting heavily on that country's victory.

If Osimhen isn't there for Nigeria, for example, or Salah for Egypt, the difference will quickly become apparent. So get into the habit of studying the injury/suspension list for all the matches you are interested in betting on.

Know exactly what is at stake in the match

Whether it's the first group match, a match on the final day or a knockout match, the stakes will not necessarily be the same for the teams taking part in this African Cup of Nations. So be careful when you place your bets!

For example, in the first group match, you might expect both teams to play their cards close to their chest in a bid to avoid starting the tournament off with a defeat. This will not necessarily be the case on the final matchday, where a team might have to win to qualify for the last 16, or even where one nation is already certain of elimination.

To find the right prediction on a AFCON 2025 match, make sure you know which phase of the tournament it is, and how important the match is for the two teams. Once again, you'll avoid some of the pitfalls that are always unpleasant.

Consider the history of head-to-head matches

African football is full of rivalries. The tense Algeria-Egypt clash, the West African rivalry between Nigeria and Ghana, the classic Côte d'Ivoire-Cameroon and Senegal-Cameroon all spring to mind. So you need to take this into account before betting on such a duel.

More generally, you need to be aware of the psychological stakes of each African Cup match before you place a bet.

Is a team receiving heavy criticism from the home press after a disappointing first match? Is the duel between two historically rival nations? Is one team riding a lengthy winning or unbeaten streak against its opponent on the day? All of these factors can influence the outcome of a match.

So, before making your prediction on the 2025 African Cup of Nations, be sure to dedicate some time to analyse the context. The Head-to-Head analysis can be found on our predictions page.

Note the venue and time of the African Cup of Nations match

Another great tip is to know the venue and time of the African Cup of Nations match you want to bet on. At this time of year, it's around twenty degrees in Morocco in the afternoon, so the weather would be very pleasant for playing football! 

It is therefore vital to be aware of the venue and the start time of the match, as players may not perform up to the same standard in a match played in the afternoon as they would in an early-evening start time.

All in all, these 5 tips should help you better understand the context of a AFCON 2025 match, and therefore optimise your chances of success with online bookmakers. If you don't have the time to go that far, you can simply read the predictions at the top of the page. Our experts have analysed everything in depth.

What not to do when betting on the African Cup of Nations

When it comes to bad betting practices, there are a few that you really must avoid during the African Cup of Nations. Here's what you shouldn't do, for example: 

• Bet without analysing the AFCON match
• Betting based solely on a nation's prestige
• Betting on a match for which a team no longer has anything to play for
• Blindly backing the favourite with no sound reasoning
• Betting an increased amount immediately after losing a bet (chasing your losses)
• Blindly betting on your favourite African team
• Betting a high number of parlays
• Making too many goalscorer predictions

These are eight mistakes that are often made by novice punters during the African Cup of Nations which unfortunately lead to regular losses. It’s up to you to eliminate these errors from your betting process which is sure to boost your overall results!

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African Cup of Nations: statistics you need to know

To make increasingly accurate predictions on the African Cup of Nations, it's important to know the key statistics of the tournament. 

For your bets on the Under/Over, the correct score market, the handicap market, as well as many others, here are the figures to remember about the African Cup of Nations. They were recorded at the very last edition of the competition organised by CAF (CAN 2023) which was played in early 2024 in Côte d'Ivoire:

Frequent AFCON results

As you can see from these statistics, the African Cup of Nations is not necessarily the most goal-rich international competition. Matches tend to be tightly-contested and are often decided by just a single goal. These statistics are vital to keep in mind when analysing the upcoming fixtures.

For the Moroccan edition, you can focus on "Under 2.5 goals" predictions and avoid handicap bets.

Goal scorer, over and BTTS (both teams to score) bets should be focused on ahead of knockout matches.

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In a nutshell: how to make winning predictions on the 2025 African Cup of Nations?

The African Cup of Nations is undoubtedly one of the most eagerly awaited football events at the end of 2025 and beginning of 2026. To make the right predictions, you should apply the many tips on this page to each match.

Take the time to analyse the context of each match, find out how the tournament is progressing, the key figures and adopt the bettor's best practices. 

In addition to consulting our team's free predictions, this will enable you to make the most of your betting slips at the online sports betting sites, and avoid losing too much money on the competition.

So take a considered approach to the 2025 African Cup of Nations, base your analysis of the competition's matches on the right figures and information and you'll maximise your winnings at the bookmakers during this AFCON in Morocco. This way you can enjoy the tournament in the best possible manner and make the most of it by placing reliable sports bets.

Our AFCON Predictions of the moment

There are no previews at the moment for this competition

Best Odds to bet on AFCON 2025

9 Jan 2026, 09:00 Mali - Senegal

1 7

X 3.65

2 1.65

9 Jan 2026, 12:00 Cameroon - Morocco

1 6.3

X 3.7

2 1.67

10 Jan 2026, 09:00 Algeria - Nigeria

1 3.5

X 3.1

2 2.43

10 Jan 2026, 12:00 Egypt - Côte d'Ivoire

1 3.4

X 2.95

2 2.57

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