The first round of group fixtures at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations are rounded off in Morocco on Wednesday, with four more pool matches across the country.
Reigning champions Cote d’Ivoire make their tournament entrance when they kick off Group F against Mozambique, before Cameroon play Gabon.
Group E begins earlier in the day as Algeria meet Sudan, after Burkina Faso get things off and running against Equatorial Guinea.
*All kick off times are in Central Africa Time.
Group E: Burkina Faso vs Equatorial Guinea – 14.30
Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea kick off Group E at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday when they meet in Casablanca.
The Stallions have become Afcon regulars since the turn of the century and have strong recent pedigree, despite failing to qualify in 2019.
Either side of that they finished third in 2017 and fourth in 2021, adding to their runners-up finish in South Africa in 2013.
They exited at the first knockout stage last time around and qualified for Morocco steadily enough behind hotshots Senegal, leaving Burundi and Malawi trailing.
The National Thunder take part in their fifth Cup of Nations and a third in a row, boasting a proud record of going beyond the group phase on every occasion so far.
Qualification from Group E saw them miles behind heavyweights Algeria but with enough in the tank to see off the challenge of Togo and Liberia.
They’re led once again by the long-serving Juan Micha and will rely on the goalscoring potential of Shanghai Shenhua striker Luis Asue.
Group E: Algeria vs Sudan – 17.00
It’s quite the occasion in Group E at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, as serial underachievers Algeria go up against the remarkable efforts of Sudan.
The Sudanese have defied extensive civil conflict at home to reach Afcon for only the fourth time since 1976.
Plenty of that is owed to the steady hand of coach Kwesi Appiah, two years into the job and the man who led Ghana at the 2014 Fifa World Cup.
Poetry saw them defeat the Black Stars in qualifying for Morocco, leaving Appiah’s countrymen rock bottom and taking the Falcons of Jediane through alongside Angola and at the expense of Niger.
If Sudan’s problems have all been off the pitch, those of Algeria have been firmly on them since claiming the title for the second time in 2019.
Consecutive group stage exits have followed, with the Fennec Foxes proving to be rather less than the sum of their parts on the African stage.
The signs are better this time after they romped to qualification with five wins from six, led by experienced coach Vladimir Petkovic.
Amine Gouiri will lead the line for a squad that also boasts the likes of Riyad Mahrez, Said Benrahma and Houssem Aouar.
Group F: Cote d’Ivoire vs Mozambique – 19.30
Reigning champions Cote d’Ivoire finally make their entrance at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, when they meet Mozambique in Group F in Marrakech.
The Elephants went from zeroes to heroes in their home tournament two years ago.
Coach Emerse Fae was parachuted in with his nation on the brink of a humiliating exit, only to engineer an incredible run that saw them lift the trophy for the third time.
Matching that drama will take some doing, although the did manage to lose twice in qualifying for Morocco despite only conceding three times in their six outings.
It left them a point shy of Zambia at the top of Group G but ahead of struggling Sierra Leone and Chad.
Striker Sebastien Haller is back for more after scoring the winning final goal in 2013, with the likes of Franck Kessie and Jean Seri providing the midfield heft.
Mozambique are yet to win a game at the tournament proper, despite appearing five times previously.
2023 saw them return for only the second time since 1998, albeit with little change in luck as two draws and a defeat saw them once again heading home at the earliest opportunity.
The Mambas qualified with room to spare alongside Mali this time, though, with Guinea-Bissau and Eswatini proving no match.
Group F: Cameroon vs Gabon – 22.00
Cameroon and Gabon wrap up the first round of pool fixtures at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday, as the neighbours go head-to-head in Agadir.
The Indomitable Lions were anything but two years ago, as they tumbled out in the Round of 16.
It was a far cry from the performance that saw them lift a fifth title in 2017, or even that which saw them to a third-placed finish in 2021.
Qualifying for Morocco was a relative breeze, even if they didn’t exactly blow away underdog trio Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia in a kind draw.
And a good old bit of coach upheaval sees them into the competition, with David Pagou taking charge less than a month before kick off.
Gabon conceded all nine of their qualifying goals in a pair of heavy defeats at the hands of Morocco.
Fortunately Lesotho and the Central African Republic proved less of a challenge as the Panthers came through as runners-up despite a negative goal difference.
Their reliance is firmly on old stager Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who leads the line for coach Thierry Mouyouma in a bid to recapture his Afcon form of a decade and more ago.
Algeria vs Sudan
| Category | Prediction |
|---|---|
| First to score | Sudan |
| Over/Under Prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT/FT Prediction | Sudan / Draw |
| Team to score prediction | Both teams |
| Result prediction | Draw |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | B. Bounedjah (Algeria) |
Burkina Faso vs Equatorial Guinea
| Category | Prediction |
|---|---|
| First to score | Burkina Faso |
| Over/Under Prediction | Over 2.5 goals |
| HT/FT Prediction | Draw / Draw |
| Team to score prediction | Both teams |
| Result prediction | Draw |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | B. Traoré (Burkina Faso), Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea) |
Côte d’Ivoire vs Mozambique
| Category | Prediction |
|---|---|
| First to score | Côte d’Ivoire |
| Over/Under Prediction | Under 2.5 goals |
| HT/FT Prediction | Draw / Côte d’Ivoire |
| Team to score prediction | Both teams |
| Result prediction | Côte d’Ivoire to win |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | N/A |
Cameroon vs Gabon
| Category | Prediction |
|---|---|
| First to score | Gabon |
| Over/Under Prediction | Over 2.5 goals |
| HT/FT Prediction | Gabon / Cameroon |
| Team to score prediction | Both teams |
| Result prediction | Cameroon to win |
| Anytime Goalscorer prediction | N/A |