Defending champions Côte d’Ivoire underlined their credentials with an emphatic 3–0 victory over Burkina Faso in Marrakech. Amad Diallo continued his impressive form, scoring once and providing an assist as the Ivorians eased through with authority. Their reward is a blockbuster quarter-final clash against Egypt, seven-time champions, in Agadir, a repeat of the iconic 2006 final.

Egypt secured their place after a hard-fought 3–1 extra-time win over Benin, with Yasser Ibrahim’s towering header and a Mohamed Salah breakaway goal proving decisive in a tense encounter.

Algeria also needed late drama to advance, edging past the Democratic Republic of Congo 1–0 thanks to a 119th-minute strike from substitute Adil Boulbina in Rabat. The victory sets up a heavyweight quarter-final showdown with Nigeria, who cruised through the round of 16 with a commanding 4–0 win over Mozambique, barely breaking sweat.

Hosts Morocco delighted home fans as a solitary strike from Brahim Díaz secured a narrow 1–0 victory over Tanzania, sending the Atlas Lions into the quarter-finals. Díaz etched his name into AFCON history by becoming the first Moroccan player to score in four consecutive tournament matches. Morocco will now face Cameroon, who overcame South Africa 2–1 to keep their title hopes alive.

In an all-West African battle, Senegal fought back from behind to defeat Sudan 3–1, while Mali, reduced to ten men, showed remarkable resilience to edge Tunisia 3–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw. The results set up an enticing Senegal-Mali quarter-final clash, promising intensity and regional pride.

With the Round of 16 concluded, the quarter-finals now bring together continental giants and fierce rivals, as the race for the AFCON 2025 crown intensifies across Morocco.

The post AFCON 2025 Round of 16 Results: Morocco, Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal Reach Quarter-Finals first appeared on Sahara Football.

At the end of the group phase, the top two teams from each of the six groups booked automatic qualification to the Round of 16, with the final four slots decided by the best third-placed teams, in line with the tournament format introduced since AFCON expanded to 24 teams.

Hosts Morocco finished top of Group A with seven points, while Mali progressed as runners-up. Although Comoros finished third in the group, their two points and inferior overall ranking meant they narrowly missed out on qualification, underlining how tight the margins were across the groups.

In Group B, seven-time champions Egypt led the standings ahead of South Africa, while Angola, despite finishing third, did not accumulate enough points to rank among the best four third-placed sides. Zimbabwe exited the competition after finishing bottom of the group.

Group C saw Nigeria deliver one of the most dominant group-stage performances in recent AFCON history, winning all three matches to finish with a perfect nine points. Tunisia followed in second place, while Tanzania finished third and Uganda ended their campaign in fourth position. Despite having the same number of points as other third-placed teams elsewhere, Tanzania advanced on the goals scored tie-breaker, a decisive factor that ultimately kept their AFCON dream alive.

In Group D, Senegal and DR Congo both ended with seven points, with Senegal topping the group on goal difference. Benin, who finished third, secured one of the four best third-placed slots thanks to their superior overall record, while Botswana exited the tournament without a point.

Group E was dominated by Algeria, who won all three matches to underline their status as former champions. Burkina Faso followed in second place, while Sudan, finishing third, accumulated enough points to progress as one of the best third-placed teams.

In Group F, defending champions Côte d’Ivoire and five-time winners Cameroon both finished on seven points to advance automatically, while Mozambique, despite finishing third, completed the list of best third-placed teams to qualify for the Round of 16.

The Round of 16 action begins on January 3, with Senegal facing Sudan and Mali taking on Tunisia. On January 4, hosts Morocco meet Tanzania, while South Africa clash with Cameroon. The knockout matches continue on January 5, as Egypt face Benin and Nigeria square off against Mozambique, before the final Round of 16 fixtures on January 6, which see Algeria battle DR Congo and Côte d’Ivoire take on Burkina Faso.

With the group stage now behind them, the tournament moves into its most unforgiving phase, where every mistake could be decisive. As Morocco provides the stage for the knockout rounds, past champions, continental heavyweights, and ambitious challengers will all be chasing a place in the quarterfinals and a step closer to African football’s ultimate prize.

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Group A

Hosts Morocco opened their campaign in style with a 2–0 victory over Comoros, courtesy of goals from Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi, to claim top spot after the first round of fixtures. In the group’s other match, Mali and Zambia shared the points in a 1–1 draw. Lassine Sinayoko gave Mali the lead before Patson Daka struck a stoppage-time equaliser for Zambia.

Standings: Morocco (3 pts), Mali (1), Zambia (1), Comoros (0)

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Group B

South Africa edged past Angola 2–1, while Egypt came from behind to defeat Zimbabwe 2–1. Goals from Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah sealed the comeback win for the Pharaohs, who sit top of the group on goal difference alongside South Africa.

Standings: Egypt (3), South Africa (3), Angola (0), Zimbabwe (0)

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Group C

Tunisia made a strong start with a 3–1 win over Uganda, while Nigeria secured a 2–1 victory against Tanzania, with Ademola Lookman among the scorers. Both teams collected maximum points to set up an early battle for supremacy in the group.

Standings: Tunisia (3), Nigeria (3), Uganda (0), Tanzania (0)

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Group D

Defending champions Senegal delivered one of the most dominant performances of Matchday One, brushing aside Botswana 3–0, with Nicholas Jackson scoring twice. DR Congo also opened their campaign with a narrow 1–0 win over Benin, leaving Senegal top on goal difference.

Standings: Senegal (3), DR Congo (3), Benin (0), Botswana (0)

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Group E

Algeria announced their intentions with a commanding 3–0 victory over Sudan, while Burkina Faso edged Equatorial Guinea 2–1 in a closely fought contest.

Standings: Algeria (3), Burkina Faso (3), Equatorial Guinea (0), Sudan (0)

READ MORE : AFCON 2025 Matchday 1 Results and Standings: Full Round-Up

Group F

Matchday One ended with two tightly contested fixtures as Cameroon defeated Gabon 1–0, and Ivory Coast also recorded a 1–0 win over Mozambique. Amad Diallo scored the decisive goal for the Ivorians as both sides claimed early momentum.

Standings: Cameroon (3), Ivory Coast (3), Gabon (0), Mozambique (0)

With Matchday One completed, attention now turns to Matchday Two, which continues on Friday, December 26, 2025, as teams look to strengthen their positions in the race for the knockout stages. The tournament will run until January 18, 2026, with anticipation already building across Morocco.

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The announcement of the new schedule was made on Saturday, December 20, bringing an end to a long-standing tradition of the tournament being held every two years since 1968.

The changes to the format of the tournament will take effect after the 2027 edition, which will be staged in Eastern Africa.

The 2028 edition will follow, after which the four-year cycle will officially begin.

According to Motsepe, the change is part of a bold vision for the future of African football.

“We have the most exciting new structure for African football,” he said.

There’s a belief within the association that the new format will help improve the quality of the tournament, allow better preparation for host nations, and reduce scheduling pressure on players and clubs.

CAF has also unveiled plans for a new African Nations League, which will start from 2029.

The post AFCON to be held every four years starting 2028 first appeared on Sahara Football.

Ghana failed to make it to the AFCON 2025 for the first time in two decades prompting lots of disappointment within the football circles in the country.

The BlackStars was housed in a group that had Sudan, Niger, and Angola but failed to advance, finishing button with no win from six games.

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Speaking on the senior national team’s failure to secure qualification, the newly appointed Sports Minister, Kofi Adams, remarked “Our non-participation in the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) must not happen again.” He told Woezor TV.

The BlackStars will hope to make amends for their failure to qualify as they play Chad and Madagascar in March for the qualifying series for the 2026 World Cup.

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Ghana after four games played sits 2nd in Group I with nine points.

The post Kofi Adams warns against Black Stars failure first appeared on Sahara Football.

Appiah formerly served as BlackStars head coach some five years ago but was relieved off his duties when the Kurt Okraku led administration took over the reigns of Ghana football.

Fastforward, Appiah was who was appointed Falcons of Jediane head coach earlier this year on a three-year contract,where he has led them to the AFCON 2025 to be staged in Morocco in a group that housed, Ghana, Niger and Angola.

READ MORE: I did not deserve technical directorship role – Kwesi Appiah

Speaking about his position as head coach, he highlighted the immense support he receives from the Sudanese FA devoid of external influences.

“In Sudan, there is nothing like interference. They all like football and even when lose sometimes, they always support and encourage you but as to which player will be called or not, they have no interest and they will never interfere,”

He also shared his views on the importance of maintaining control over team decisions.

“If you are a coach and you are being dictated to, you will not succeed. Even if you are prompted that there is this player here, you make the final decision.” he told Asempa FM.

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Appiah will lead  Sudan to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be staged in Morocco.

The post “There is nothing like interference” – Kwesi Appiah first appeared on Sahara Football.

This follows team’s poor showing in the 2025 AFCON qualyfing series.

READ MORE : I won’t resign- Otto Addo clarifies his job

The team finished button with 3 points from 18 points in a group with Angola,Sudan and  Niger.

In a press release issued on Thursday, November 21, 2024, the GFA expressed regret over the team’s failure to qualify for the continental tournament for the first time in 21 years.

“The Ghana Football Association (GFA) wishes to express its sincerest apologies to the good people of Ghana for the Black Stars’ inability to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025. We understand the disappointment and frustration this failure has caused, and we share in the pain and sadness of our beloved fans. We acknowledge that the team’s performance did not meet the high expectations of the nation, and for that, we are truly sorry.”

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For the first time in 20 years, the BlackStars will not play in the  AFCON tournamnet.

The post GFA dissolves Black Stars Management Committee after AFCON failure first appeared on Sahara Football.

The Black Stars were winless in six games, ended with three points, and bottom of the group.

READ MORE: Highlights: BlackStars at losing at home to Niger

This development heightened calls for the sacking of Otto Addo by the GFA, squashed following an ExCo meeting on Wednesday, November 20, 2024, to look into the BlackStars’ poor outing for the qualifiers.

READ MORE: AFCON 2025: Niger roast Ghana in Accra

However, circling reports in the media indicate that Otto will stay on and lead the country in the 2026 World Cup qualifying series slated for March 2025.

The post Otto Addo stays on as Black Stars head coach – Executive Council first appeared on Sahara Football.