Noureldein GhanemWashington, DC — Morocco gears up to host the 34th African Cup of Nations from 21 December to 18 January 2026, with 24 teams competing for the continent’s top football prize.
The group stage consists of 6 groups, Group A, which includes the host Morocco, Mali, Zambia, and Comoros. Group B includes Egypt, South Africa, Angola, and Zimbabwe.
Group C includes Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, and Tanzania. Group D, containing Cameroon, Ivory Coast (defending champions), Gabon and Mozambique.
Group E: Algeria, Senegal, DR Congo, Burkina Faso; and finally, Group F: Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Benin, and Botswana.
Though the tournament features many familiar teams, AFCON is famously unpredictable, with less powerful teams frequently rising to challenge the continent’s traditional powerhouses.
Here is a breakdown of the teams that have a good chance of claiming the trophy, and other teams to look out for:
Teams with the best chances of winning the trophy:
Morocco
As hosts, Morocco enters the tournament as one of the leading contenders for the trophy.
Though the Lions of Atlas automatically qualified as hosts, they still participated in the qualifying matches, winning all eight games and scoring 22 goals while conceding only two.
Despite the likely absence of PSG's Achraf Hakimi due to injury, the team still has big names, including Manchester United's Noussair Mazraoui, Roma's Neil El Aynaoui, Real Madrid's Brahim Diaz, Fenerbahce's Youssef En-Nesyri and others.
Competing on home soil offers Morocco a distinct advantage, buoyed by the support of its fans.
The team eschews rigid formations, yet often favours a 4-3-3 setup, striking a balance between defence and attack while leveraging pacey wingers to drive offensive play.
The Moroccan team is currently ranked 11th in the FIFA rankings.
Senegal
Although Senegal has always had good runs in the AFCONs, the team only won the trophy once in 2021 after beating Egypt in the penalty shootouts in the final.
This time, the Lions of Teranga are coming with hopes of clinching their second title, with Al Nassr's Sadio Mane, Bayern Munich's Nicolas Jackson, Crystal Palace's Ismaila Sarr, and Everton's Iliman Ndiaye leading their march.
Senegal usually follows a 4-2-3-1 formation, and relies on physical attributes like pace and power.
Senegal is currently ranked 19th in the FIFA rankings. Their highest ranking was 17th.
Ivory Coast (Defending champions)
Ivory Coast had quite the dramatic triumph in the 2024 AFCON final, after a late winner sealed the trophy for the Elephants in a 2-1 victory over Nigeria.
This, however, was a part of a larger comeback story during the tournament they hosted.
The team was close to being knocked out in the group stages, and only qualified as one of the four third-placed teams.
During the group stages, the coach was sacked mid-tournament due to poor performance and replaced by an interim coach.
Ivory Coast cannot be dismissed as an underdog, yet the team has not consistently been regarded among the foremost favourites for the trophy.
Although the squad isn't as strong as prior ones that included legends like Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, Ivory Coast still have one of the highest market-value teams in the tournament, with €291.43m market value.
Egypt
The Egyptians have already cemented their status as the best African team in history, with a record of 7 African Cup of Nations titles. But after their last AFCON victory in 2010, the Pharaohs found themselves in a tough spot due to a series of problems that came at once.
Initially, Egypt faced the challenge of a mass exodus, as many players from their celebrated "Golden Generation," dominant in Africa from 1998 to 2010, were retiring.
However, the Egyptians rebounded quickly, qualifying for AFCON in 2017 and reaching the final in both 2017 and 2021.
People see this as Egypt's best chance to regain its place on the throne of Africa, with Liverpool's Mohamed Salah and Manchester City's Omar Marmoush leading the Pharaohs.
Egypt typically favours a measured, controlled buildup in possession, while relying on counter-attacks and set-piece strategies when out of the ball.
Egypt is currently ranked 34th in the FIFA rankings. Its highest was the 9th.
Algeria
The Desert Warriors come to this AFCON with the hopes of winning their third African trophy after their last one in 2019.
In 2019, Algeria had one of the best no-loss streaks in the history of football, completing 35 matches without a loss. Equatorial Guinea ended the streak in 2022.
Only Italy (37 matches) and Argentina (36 matches) had longer no-loss streaks.
Although Algeria doesn't have the same deadly squad from 2019, the team will rely on its experienced players to reach the final.
Algeria is currently ranked 35th in FIFA rankings. Its highest was 15th.
Cameroon
Another African powerhouse is Cameroon, which won its last AFCON in 2017 after a 2-1 win in the final against Egypt.
The Untamed Lions are regulars at the tournament, having won it 5 times, only second to Egypt (7).
Cameroon, a nation that has produced numerous stars for Europe’s top five leagues, is a perennial force in the African Cup.
This edition sees talents like Brighton’s Carlos Baleba, Manchester United’s Bryan Mbuemo, alongside seasoned forwards Vincent Aboubakar and Choupo-Moting leading the charge.
A victory for Cameroon would bring them closer to Egypt’s record, which the Pharaohs held for nearly two decades after surpassing the Untamed Lions in 2006.
With Ghana, four-time champions, absent from this tournament, Cameroon emerge as the strongest contender to reclaim the African throne.
Nigeria
Nigeria, dubbed the Super Eagles, has a good chance of winning the African Cup this year.
Similar to Cameroon, Nigeria have been a top producer of quality players to the top five European leagues.
In this AFCON, Nigeria have a squad that includes Fulham's Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi, and a frontline jampacked with Atalanta's Ademola Lookman, Wolves' Tolu Arokodare, and Galatasaray's Victor Osimhen.
Nigeria have three AFCON titles, and has the highest rank achieved by an African team in the FIFA rankings after ranking 5th in 1994.
Teams to look out for
Mali
Mali have zero African Cup titles and were runners-up in 1972.
Out of 14 appearances in AFCON tournaments, Mali secured the Bronze Medal two times — 2012 and 2013 — and got the fourth place three times — 1994, 2002 and 2004.
So, it may be odd to include the team on this list, but Mali had a good run in the AFCON qualifiers, winning four games and drawing two.
The Malian team rely heavily on young talents, and only three players from the 27-player squad are over 30.
The average age of the whole squad is 26.
Tunisia
Tunisia are a familiar force at AFCON, known for producing surprise results and upsetting favourites over the years.
The country won their last and only title in 2004, beating Morocco 2-1 in the final.
In one of their latest friendlies, Tunisia managed to draw 1-1 against powerhouse Brazil, and has been trying to prepare more than most for the AFCON.
Tunisia are currently ranked 40th in the FIFA rankings.
The team rely on what is known as the North African style, built on solid defence and quick offensive transitions.
South Africa
South Africa has claimed just one African Cup title, yet, like Tunisia, it has a history of springing surprises and upsetting stronger opponents in past tournaments.
The team had a good run in the qualifiers, winning four matches and drawing two.
The only tough opponent the South Africans will face in the group stages is Egypt, and many of the fans have hopes they might top their group in this tournament.
South Africa is ranked 61st in the latest FIFA rankings.
