Afcon 2025: Excitement, Expectations As Morocco Hosts Africa

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All is set for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

The players. The coaches. The fans. The pundits. The world.

For the first time in the history of the competition, it will be played in December.

I think its a good idea, Adava Oluwagbenga, a broadcaster with Midas Radio 90.5 FM tells DAILY POST.

The European leagues are still up and running and the players are fresh.

The only downside is the players being unable to be with their families for the Yuletide.

But for the weather, location and the pitches,I think its a good time to have the competition and I expect Morocco to be an amazing host.

Morocco will be hosting the rest of the continent.

And it has been a long time coming. For the last few years, the North African country has slowly rejoined the league of heavyweights in football, even on the global stage.

At the last World Cup in Qatar, the Atlas Lions broke the African record at the tournament, by reaching the semi-finals where they lost to France. Croatia then beat them 2-1 in the third-place fixture.

Since then, their mens U-23s won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics, while the U-20s are world champions after defeating Argentina in Octobers final.

Morocco has also won the last three African Nations Championships 2018, 2020 and 2024. This week, that side also clinched victory in the FIFA Arab Cup final against Jordan.

It has led to a lot of observers installing them as pre-tournament favourites.

Adava disagrees.

Well, I wouldnt exactly say that - because except for age-grade competitions and doing well in the last Olympics, what exactly are they winning? Check their AFCON records from the year 2000.

Even though they got to the Semis of the last World Cup, Ill wait to see how they fare in this AFCON.

Who are the other teams that will do well at the AFCON?

I think South Africa is one country that will do very well, Adava says.

They have gotten really stronger over the last 2/3 years and I firmly believe they are the dark horses going into this tournament.

I also think Senegal will go very far, not expecting much from defending champions Ivory Coast.

What about the Super Eagles?

Since the turn of the millennium, we have been strong performers at AFCON, save for 2008, Adava points out.

No matter how terrible our squad is, we seem to always post some good performances in AFCON. Good enough to power us into semi-finals a lot of times and eventually going home with a bronze medal a lot of times.

Right now, we are the current silver medalists and on the strength of the quality of our players - quality of players, not of coaching - I believe we can get into the top four again, all things being equal.

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