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AFCON 2025 enters knockout phase as Round of 16 begins in Morocco

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The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 moves into its decisive phase on Saturday as the Round of 16 gets under way, with eight high-stakes matches spread across four days and the margin for error now gone.

After a group stage that produced drama, tight qualification races and historic breakthroughs, Africa’s biggest football tournament shifts from accumulation to elimination.

Former champions, tournament favourites and first-time knockout participants all remain in the hunt as the road to the final in Rabat begins to take shape. Defending champions Côte d’Ivoire are still alive, but the path ahead is unforgiving.

 Hosts Morocco carry the weight of expectation, while heavyweights such as Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria and Algeria aim to translate group-stage consistency into knockout authority. Alongside them are ambitious challengers including Sudan, Tanzania and Mozambique, all hoping to extend unlikely journeys.

The knockout phase opens in Tangier on Saturday afternoon, where Senegal, unbeaten and dominant in Group D, face Sudan, who progressed with the lowest points total of any team still standing.

Senegal’s defensive solidity — conceding just one goal in the group stage — contrasts sharply with Sudan’s struggle for attacking output, but knockout football has a habit of resetting form.

Later on Saturday, Mali and Tunisia meet in Casablanca in a fixture steeped in AFCON familiarity. The sides have crossed paths at four previous tournaments, with Mali unbeaten in those encounters, though Tunisia arrive buoyed by recent attacking improvement and penalty efficiency.

 

Sunday brings two headline fixtures in Rabat. Hosts Morocco face Tanzania, a nation appearing in the knockout rounds for the first time.

Morocco have dominated this fixture historically, but recent Round of 16 exits underline the pressure on the Atlas Lions to deliver.

Later, South Africa meet Cameroon in a tie rich in history and narrative, including coach Hugo Broos facing the side he led to AFCON glory in 2017.

On Monday, Egypt’s long wait for an eighth continental crown continues against Benin in Agadir, before Nigeria — the tournament’s most prolific attacking side so far — take on Mozambique in Fès, aiming to build on a strong group-stage showing.

The Round of 16 concludes on Tuesday with Algeria facing DR Congo in Rabat, followed by Côte d’Ivoire’s defence of their title against Burkina Faso in Marrakech — a clash that could define the balance between pedigree and momentum.

With quarter-final places at stake, margins are thin, pressure is high and reputations are on the line. The knockout phase begins with no guarantees — only opportunity.

Round of 16 fixtures – TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025

Saturday, 3 January 2026

  • Senegal vs Sudan
    17h00 local / 16h00 GMT – Grand Stade de Tangier

  • Mali vs Tunisia
    20h00 local / 19h00 GMT – Stade Mohammed V, Casablanca

Sunday, 4 January 2026

  • Morocco vs Tanzania
    17h00 local / 16h00 GMT – Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah, Rabat

  • South Africa vs Cameroon
    20h00 local / 19h00 GMT – Stade Al Medina, Rabat

Monday, 5 January 2026

  • Egypt vs Benin
    17h00 local / 16h00 GMT – Grand Stade de Agadir

  • Nigeria vs Mozambique
    20h00 local / 19h00 GMT – Complexe Sportif de Fès

Tuesday, 6 January 2026

  • Algeria vs DR Congo
    17h00 local / 16h00 GMT – Stade Prince Heritier Moulay El Hassan, Rabat

  • Côte d’Ivoire vs Burkina Faso
    20h00 local / 19h00 GMT – Grand Stade de Marrakech