The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has announced a change in the dates for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, which will be held in Morocco.
The tournament will now take place from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, according to a statement released on CAF’s official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Originally scheduled for June and July 2025, the dates were shifted to avoid clashing with the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, set to run from June 15 to July 13 next year.
Additionally, CAF aimed to avoid scheduling conflicts with the UEFA Champions League.
The draw for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will take place in Johannesburg on July 4. A total of 48 teams will be divided into 12 groups for the qualifiers.
Unlike the European Championship, Copa America, and Asian Cup, which occur every four years, the Africa Cup of Nations is held biennially. This frequency is primarily due to the substantial revenue it generates for CAF.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe recently highlighted the financial success of the tournament, revealing that the last Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Ivory Coast in January and February this year, brought in $80 million in profits for CAF.
Morocco is set to begin construction on the “Grand Casablanca Stadium” at the end of this month, in preparation for hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The stadium is projected to be the largest in the world, with a seating capacity of 115,000 spectators.
Kareem Al-Julaibi, a member of Casablanca’s city council, announced that the construction of the stadium will commence within a few weeks.
The stadium will be situated on a 100-hectare site in the village of Mansouria, located in the Ben Slimane province between Casablanca and Rabat. The goal is to have the stadium ready by 2028.
