AFCON 2025: Two Lions to Confirm Favoritism and Reach the Final?
by Bradley Gibbs | by Bradley Gibbs
The trophy is changing hands
During the quarter finals, we waved goodbye to the Ivorians, who, having got the job done when the tournament was last held, were the defending champions. There’ll be no repeat success for the Elephants, who were beaten by a clinical and counter-offensive Egypt team.
With the Ivorians out of the picture, this coveted prize will definitely be changing hands, and there are four teams left in the running.
Who wins? Well, as we can see from the futures betting below, with our top sportsbooks, the Moroccans are considered to be quite strong favorites to go all the way.
AFCON Outright Betting:
Morocco +140
Senegal +240
Nigeria +300
Egypt +500
Following Morocco, nicknamed the Atlas Lions, in the futures betting is Senegal, and as the Lions of Teranga are up against the Egyptians, we could see the two favorites clash in what would be an excellent final between the two lions. Which one will roar louder if it comes to that?
Hoping to cause an upset are the Nigerians, who will face the tournament holders and favorites in the Moroccan capital of Rabat, and let’s be honest, as good as the Moroccans have been, it wouldn’t be the biggest shock if the Super Eagles made the final. After all, we are talking about the highest-scoring team left in the competition.
Recent history against the hosts
From what we’ve seen so far, the Moroccans look very strong, and they are clearly fancied by many (including myself) to get over the line on home soil. However, recent history is not really in their favor. It’s a long time since the Moroccans last featured in the final of the African Cup of Nations. Not since 2004 have the Atlas Lions graced AFCON’s biggest game, while this is also the first time that they’ve made the semi finals since 2004.
Winning this prestigious title only once before, the Atlas Lions have not claimed the biggest prize on the continent since 1976. Featuring in only one final since then too, now is very much the time for the North Africans to get over the line.
The Nigerians know all about going deep at AFCON, reaching the final when the tournament was last held, while the Super Eagles have also either won the competition, finished second or made the final four in three of the last six renewals.
The men from Senegal also boast much more recent winning experience than the Moroccans, finishing as runners-up in 2019, before winning the title in 2021. Much the same can be said for the Egyptians, who made the final in both 2021 and 2019, winning the competition in 2006, 2008 and 2010.
Of course, history is far from always an indicator of the future, and there is no denying that the current Moroccan squad is incredibly strong. Walid Regragui’s men have shown that they have more than enough quality to claim this title, while they also have the backing of a home crowd, which is huge.
The question is will the Atlas Lions be shaken by the fact that they’re the least successful nation in terms of both overall and recent AFCON success left in the competition? Given that I made it very clear that I thought they were a great bet to go all the way before the tournament began, and for the sake of my own pocket, I certainly hope not.
