The Africa Cup of Nations tournament (AFCON) is eight weeks away from its grand opening, which will see 24 teams compete for the prestigious trophy in Morocco, Soccernet.ng reports.
Reigning African Champions – Ivory Coast, are top of the list of favourites to win the 2025 edition of the tournament on North African soil, especially considering how they qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, whilst remaining unbeaten, winning eight games and drawing just two.
Ahead of the competition, Soccernet.ng provides the power rankings of each team, from the least to the top, giving an insight into which team is most likely to fail in Morocco, and vice versa. These positions are largely decided by the latest FIFA Rankings
Power rankings: Every AFCON 2025 team ranked from 24 to 1
24. Botswana
Currently placed 137th in the latest FIFA rankings, Botswana edged Mauritania and Cape Verde in their AFCON qualifier journey, finishing second just behind Egypt.
With a team worth €2.5m, the Batswana are the team with the lowest power rankings heading into the AFCON 2025 tournament.
They’ve been drawn into Group D alongside the Republic of Benin, DR Congo and Senegal, and qualification to the knockout rounds simply looks like an insurmountable hill for Morena Cuthbert’s men.
23. Zimbabwe
While they were bottom of their World Cup qualifying group, the Zimbabweans were a tough nut to crack for Nigeria, as they drew the Super Eagles twice.
They’re 129th in the latest FIFA rankings and have been drawn into the AFCON 2025 Group B alongside Angola, Egypt and South Africa. Given the big names in this group, it wouldn’t be a surprise to many if Zimbabwe pack things up at the group stage in Morocco.
22. Sudan
The Sudanese national team are without a win from their previous eight games, and have the November International break to secure some positive results to boost the team morale before heading into AFCON 2025.
The one-time AFCON winners are in Group E with Algeria, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea, and will have their work cut out if they want to reach the latter stages of the competition.
Sudan are currently 119th in the FIFA rankings, and their team is worth approximately €1.5m.
21. Comoros
The third-smallest African country will be making their second-ever AFCON appearance in December after a debut outing in 2021.
The population of the island is just under a million, and its football team is worth €17.9m. Their meteoric rise under Italian coach Stefano Cusin has been impressive as he’s averaged 1.7 points per game with the African side, and they could be one of the dark horses in Morocco.
They’ll battle alongside Mali, Zambia and the hosts in Group A for a place in the knockout stages.
Two defeats in the last International break saw them drop seven places to 112 in the recent FIFA rankings.
20. Tanzania
The Tanzanians have been drawn into Group C with Uganda, Tunisia and Nigeria. They’re the lowest-ranked team in the group (107).
Tanzania also boast the lowest market value in the group (€2.33), less than half the worth of the Ugandan team (€5.8m).
The odds are in favour of Hemed Suleiman’s team to be bottom of Group C at the end of the Group stage fixtures.
19. Mozambique
The Mozambicans will be making their 6th AFCON appearance in Morocco. They dropped four places to 101 in the FIFA Rankings after suffering a defeat to Guinea during the last International break.
They’ve been placed in Group F alongside Cameroon, Gabon, and the reigning champions Ivory Coast.
18. Equatorial Guinea
The Spanish-speaking country produced the highest goalscorer of the previous AFCON in Emiliano Nsue. They qualified from a group that had Nigeria and Ivory Coast last time out.
They’ll be locking horns against Algeria, Sudan, and Burkina Faso in Group E, as they look to usurp the big boys in eight weeks. Equatorial Guinea dropped four places to 99 in the FIFA rankings.
17. Benin Republic
Gernot Rohr’s side narrowly missed out on a 2026 FIFA World Cup spot, but can put a smile on the faces of their citizens with a good outing at the AFCON 2025 tournament.
After a six-year absence on the African stage, Benin will tackle Botswana, Senegal and DR Congo in Group D.
Placed 92nd in the recent FIFA rankings, they’re the third-highest ranked team in the group, behind Congo and Senegal, and it’ll be no surprise if they qualify to the knockout stages as one of the best third-placed teams in Morocco.
16. Angola
Having reached the quarter finals in Ivory Coast, the Angolans have the task of battering through Egypt, South Africa and Zimbabwe in Group B.
Their 89th place in the FIFA rankings remains intact after they drew two games during the October International break.
15. Zambia
The Zambians have been in poor form, suffering a loss in eight of their last ten games, resulting in a two-place drop to 87th in the FIFA rankings.
A poor defensive structure might see them get knocked out of Group A when they take on Mali, Morocco and Comoros.
14. Uganda
Three wins from their previous five fixtures weren’t enough for Uganda to avoid a one-place drop in the FIFA rankings, as they’re now 83rd.
With a squad worth €5.38m, a decent campaign will most likely be the outcome of Uganda’s appearance in Morocco, as they have to face Nigeria and Tunisia in Group C.
13. Gabon
The Gabonese attack houses one of the most prolific strikers in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. The 36-year-old put four past Gambia a few weeks back, and his presence poses a big threat to Cameroon, Ivory Coast and Mozambique in Group F.
Two wins over the October International break saw Gabon move two places to 77th, but next up for them before the AFCON 2025 campaign is a World Cup play-off against Nigeria.
12. Burkina Faso
With a market value of €100.58m, the Burkinabe house is one of the most expensive African teams. Two wins in October saw them move higher into 63rd in the latest FIFA rankings.
They’ll be expected to battle comfortably through Group E against Algeria, Equatorial Guinea and Sudan to reach the knockout stages.
11. DR Congo
Congo are one of the few African teams whose place in the FIFA rankings (60) remains unchanged. They’re in Group D alongside Senegal, Botswana and Benin Republic.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Arthur Masuaku, and Axel Tuanzabe being the big names in the team means they’re more defensively stable, compared to what they offer in offence.
Congo have kept two clean sheets in their last two games, scoring one goal in each fixture.
10. South Africa
Bafana Bafana are 59th, but that doesn’t capture the full story. After securing the bronze medal at the AFCON 2023 in Ivory Coast, Hugo Broos’ men qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup for the first time in 16 years.
They’ll be strong favourites to finish top of Group B, with Egypt being their closest rivals.
9. Cameroon
Another team to have secured a World Cup play-off spot, Cameroon will have their toughest Group F battles against fellow Francophone countries in Gabon and Ivory Coast.
Their current market value is at €249.50m, and they house some of Europe’s finest stars in Bryan Mbeumo, Andre Onana, Jackson Tchatchoua, Carlos Baleba, Frank Anguissa and Karl Etta Eyong.
They were knocked out at the quarter-final stage in Cote d’Ivoire, but with an even better squad, Cameroon have a real chance of going all the way to securing victory in Morocco.
8. Mali
The Malians narrowly missed out on a World Cup play-off spot, but Group A is looking promising for them, with Morocco being their only tough opponent.
Besides Nigeria, Mali made the biggest leap on the FIFA rankings in Africa, going three spots up to 53rd.
7. Tunisia
Tunisia have scored 13 goals in their last four games, winning all of them, alongside keeping clean sheets in those four fixtures.
These results saw them move into 43rd in the FIFA rankings. Sami Trabelisi’s side are airtight in attack and defence.
While many don’t consider them as a potential AFCON winner, they have a chance of proving the doubters wrong if they can keep their results up.
6. Ivory Coast
The Ivorians already have a place in the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the bag. The three-time AFCON winners boast a squad with a market value of €274.93m.
Ivory Coast have a tough task if they’re to exit Group F. They need positive results against Gabon and Cameroon.
5. Nigeria
Eric Chelle’s men are now the 41st nation in the footballing World, following a brilliant October that saw them claim victories over Lesotho and the Republic of Benin.
At least, a semi-final spot is expected of the Super Eagles after they claimed a silver medal in Ivory Coast early last year.
They take on Tanzania, Tunisia and Uganda in Group C.
4. Algeria
Algeria will most likely top Group E, and should seal comfortable results against Sudan, Burkina Faso and Equatorial Guinea.
They’re placed 35th in the most recent FIFA rankings, moving three places up. They’re unbeaten in their last nine games.
3. Egypt
The Egyptians had a poor campaign in Ivory Coast last time out as they were sent home at the first knockout stage.
Their last defeat came 18 months ago, and they’re on a 14-game unbeaten run and a positive ride heading into the AFCON 2025 is something that’ll scare Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe in Group C.
2. Senegal
Senegal boasts arguably the most balanced African team. They won seven out of ten World Cup qualifying fixtures, and have a team with a market value of €288m.
Their FIFA ranking (18) remained unchanged. Senegal’s Group D opponents include Benin, Botswana and DR Congo.
It is expected that the one-time Africans will top the group, while a semi-final exit will be anticipated.
1. Morocco
The hosts are 12th in the FIFA Rankings. With the competition being held on their soil, alongside the massive support from the home crowd, Morocco are favourites to win the AFCON 2025 competition.
The female team reached the final against Nigeria in July, and it took an extraordinary comeback from Justin Madugu’s team to claim a 10th WAFCON title.
However, the male team are stronger. With a market value of €416.80m (the Highest in Africa) and seven wins from their last nine games, Mali, Comoros, and Zambia are no match for Walid Regragui’s men in Group A.
