While Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire arrive with established pedigree and well-defined performance standards, Gabon and Mozambique enter the tournament intent on reaffirming their progress and elevating competitive consistency.
Algeria enter seeking redemption, Burkina Faso continue their pursuit of a breakthrough title, Equatorial Guinea maintain their reputation for upsetting stronger opposition, and Sudan look to build on a revived qualification campaign.
Benin return with ambitions of surpassing their 2019 breakthrough, Botswana enter only their second finals seeking credibility, DR Congo draw on deep tournament pedigree, and Senegal arrive as recent champions determined to reassert their continental influence.
Cameroon have sacked Belgian coach Marc Brys and dropped Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from December 21 in Morocco.
Hugo Broos has named his final 25-man Bafana Bafana squad for the Africa Cup of Nations later this month – and in doing so, may have offered the clearest indication yet of who he trusts to lead South Africa into next year’s 2026 World Cup in North America.
Nigeria enter with historic weight and a squad built for a deep run, while Tanzania arrive on the back of unprecedented progress.
Egypt enter AFCON 2025 as perennial contenders with unmatched continental pedigree, while Bafana Bafana arrive buoyed by renewed stability and recent qualification success.
Morocco enter the Africa Cup of Nations as hosts and group favourites, returning to the continental stage with strong form and a deep, experienced squad.
Champions Liverpool have lost 6 out of 12 Premier League games this season and sit 12th in the table, 11 points behind leaders Arsenal.
Amakhosi needed a late equaliser to avoid back-to-back defeats, while Stellenbosch saw a late penalty undo their hard work in Zanzibar.