The draw for the qualifiers for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to be hosted by Morocco in 2025, will be held on July 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa, at the SuperSport studios at 1:30 pm Moroccan time, the African Confederation of Football (CAF) announced on Thursday.
During the draw, a total of 48 nations, including the four winners from the preliminary round (Chad, Eswatini, Liberia and South Sudan), will be drawn into 12 groups of four teams each, all competing to advance to the finals.
The qualifying rounds will commence in September 2024, with only 23 teams advancing to the AFCON championship. These nations will join Morocco, which has already secured its position as the host nation.
The confirmed nations for the draw include “the reigning African champions Côte d’Ivoire, joined by Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eswatini and Ethiopia,” according to CAF.
The list of participating nations also includes Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
A distinguished group of sports figures, including CAF legends, representatives of participating teams, members of the Local Organizing Committee for the TotalEnergies AFCON 2025, and others, are expected to attend the draw event.
At a meeting of the CAF executive committee held in Cairo last September, the Kingdom of Morocco was announced as the official host country for the AFCON 2025.