The road to Morocco has been set, with the AFCON 2025 draw done
The road to Morocco in December next year has been set, with the conducting of the draw on Thursday afternoon in Johannesburg. 48 African countries now know who they have to play to make it to AFCON 2025.
In a worldwide televised show, Ivory Coast coach Emerse Fae and former Morocco player Marouane Chamakh pulled out the 48 coloured balls.
Cote D’ivoire will meet Zambia, Sierra Leone, Chad in what looks like an easy journey to the defence of their title in December next year. Group A looks interesting with islanders Madagascar, Comoros, and The Gambia tussling with Tunisia.
The group phase of the qualifiers will kick off in September with each team playing six games. All the teams finishing first and second go through to the Africa Cup of Nations tournament. Lesotho, Gabon, Central African Republic will have to fight for first place in Group B. This is because Morocco will be at AFCON 2025 as hosts, so only first place is guaranteed a seat at Africa’s biggest football banquet.
If Morocco finish outside the top two then the second-placed country will have to watch the tournament on television with the rest of us. It will be the first time the Africa Cup of Nations will be held in December largely due to a congested international calendar.
