With the knockout stage about to start at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the big boys have had it all their own way so far.
Algeria and Nigeria were the two nations to win all three of their games. Mohamed Salah’s goals earned Egypt a comfortable passage with seven points, while Achraf Hakimi eased himself back into action as hosts Morocco also went unbeaten.
But several teams are looking to cause upsets in the last 16. With more drama sure to be on the way, here are some of the key talking points so far from the 35th edition of the tournament. While Algeria, Tunisia and Ghana failed to make it out of their group two years ago, all of the top 12-ranked sides have progressed with little fuss this time.
Along with Algeria – whose captain Riyad Mahrez has found the net three times to lead the goalscoring charts – Morocco, Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ivory Coast were the other group winners.
When a surprise arrived, Mozambique made it a memorable one. In their 17th match at the Afcon finals, the team ranked 102nd in the world ended their wait for a win by deservedly beating Gabon to advance.
The Gabonese government’s response to losing all three group games was to sack their entire coaching staff, suspend the players, and ban forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Sudan, the second-lowest-ranked team at the finals after Mozambique, reached the tournament despite playing all their qualifiers overseas because of the civil war in their homeland.
Against that backdrop, the Falcons of Jediane are in the second round for just the second time since they were champions in 1970, thanks to their win against Equatorial Guinea. Mozambique is not the only nation to make the knockout stage for the first time.
Tanzania, still winless in 12 matches at the finals since their debut in 1980, face Morocco in Rabat after progressing despite only collecting two points.
No third-placed finisher had previously gone through with fewer than three points since Afcon expanded to a 24-team format in 2019, and the Taifa Stars achieved the feat with a draw against a Tunisia team 71 places above them in the rankings.
Featuring at the finals for a fifth time, Benin have made it through before, having famously beaten Morocco on penalties in the last 16 in 2019. But at this tournament, the Cheetahs finally ended a 15-match wait for a maiden Afcon win inside regular time. Their reward is a tie against another North African side, as they face Egypt in Agadir.
