The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has given provisional approval for the next African Cup, set to be hosted in Morocco, to take place in July through August of 2025.
This decision comes after CAF president Patrice Motsepe refrained from confirming an official date for the AFCON (also known as CAN), which was originally scheduled for January through February of 2025.
The prestigious African Cup is likely to coincide with FIFA’s first major 32-team Club World Cup, set to take place from June 15 to July 13 in the United States.
An official from the committee in charge of competitions told AFP that there is “an agreement in principle between CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) for the CAN to be held in the summer, specifically in July and August 2025, under the guidance of FIFA. The proposed dates are from around July 20 to August 17, 2025.
The previous two editions of the CAN were postponed due to adverse weather conditions. CAN 2021 was played in January through February of 2022 in Cameroon and was won by Senegal, while the most recent edition began on January 13, 2024, in Cote d’Ivoire, ultimately resulting in the hosts lifting the trophy.
The qualifications for CAN 2025 have not started yet, but a preliminary round is scheduled from March 18 to 26. The draw for the preliminary round of the qualifiers for the next edition, officially called “CAN TotalEnergies Maroc 2025,” will take place on Tuesday in Cairo, announced CAF.
The preliminary round will involve the eight lowest-ranked teams according to the FIFA rankings – Somalia, Djibouti, Sao Tome, Chad, Mauritius, South Sudan, Liberia, and Eswatini. The matches will be played home and away during the FIFA window from March 18 to 26, 2024. The four winners of the preliminary round will then join the 44 exempt teams for the group stage of the qualifiers.
Looking ahead, CAN 2027 will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. After Morocco’s elimination in the Round of 16 in Cote d’Ivoire, Moroccan fans hope for a better result on their home soil. Morocco’s win in the 1976 African Cup of Nations remains their single tournament triumph, despite making six World Cup appearances since 1970.
