Updated: 2025 AFCON gets kick-off, closing dates 

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially set the dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled to take place in Morocco. 

According to the continent’s football authorities after their executive committee meeting on Friday, the biennial competition will be staged from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026.

Morocco has been announced as the host of the tournament after Guinea was stripped due to poor facilities.

The confederation has been having headache over the timing of the tournament which initially was scheduled for the January-February calendar. 

That period proved impossible owing to congested fixtures that has scuppered the qualifying series.

Available windows are already taken up by the qualifying series for the 2026 World Cup, making it impossible for the 24 finalists for the AFCON 2025 to emerge before January 2025.

Morocco proposed the tournament for the summer of 2025, but the inaugural 32-format FIFA Club World Cup of 2025 has made that impossible.

However, CAF is yet to settle for date for Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco and Women’s Champions League.

Heritage Times HT