The Favourites and the Underdogs Heading Into AFCON 2025

The latest edition of the AFCON is right around the corner and as the stadiums are getting polished, the players are getting ready for another exciting tournament. This year, the story feels slightly different. The usual giants are still looming, sharper than ever, but there is a pack of teams just behind them who have grown tired of playing small. And with every AFCON reminding us that ranking tables are useless once the whistle blows, the favourites and underdogs look closer than people want to admit.

Morocco: The team everyone measures themselves against

Morocco step into the tournament with something rare in African football: continuity and confidence at the same time. They come in with the weight of a World Cup semi final on their shoulders, and most of the squad is still intact. The spine is stable, the system hasn’t changed much, and the players have been competing at the highest levels of European football all season.

What sets Morocco apart is their collective calm and experience from the last world cup. This might prove crucial for sports betting fans. Morocco don’t rush, they don’t break shape, and they don’t play like a team trying to prove something. They play like a team that already knows who they are. That’s dangerous.

Senegal: Too much talent to ignore

Then there is Senegal. Even when results wobble, the squad quality is undeniable. The team is still built around experience: Koulibaly marshalling the back, Mendy steadying the goal, and Sadio Mané carrying that mix of responsibility and unpredictability that only he can bring.
Senegal have been here before. They know how to survive the ugly matches, the tight ones, the nights where everything turns physical. What they want is control. If they find it early in the tournament, they become terrifying.

Ivory Coast: A team that always finds a way

You can never read Ivory Coast by looking at recent form. They are a tournament team. Some years they stumble their way through qualifiers and then play like champions when the spotlight hits. Other years they arrive confident and fall apart in a group match.
This time they look balanced. The new generation blends well with the older core, and several of their attacking players are coming off strong club seasons. If the midfield settles quickly, they will trouble anyone.

The underdogs nobody should overlook

But AFCON always belongs to the teams that nobody spent enough time discussing. This time, two stand out. Ghana has been inconsistent, yes, but there is a sense that something is cooking in this team. A few players abroad have matured quicker than expected, and suddenly the squad feels fresher, hungrier. If they can keep their defensive concentration, they can topple someone big. They’ve done it before.

South Africa come in with momentum, even if they don’t shout about it. Their recent qualifying run has been steady, tactical, disciplined. Not spectacular, but effective. They have developed a habit of frustrating teams who underestimate them. AFCON loves teams like that.
Tunisia and Egypt fall into that same category of “quiet threats.” Egypt always seem two wins away from becoming contenders. Tunisia, meanwhile, rarely collapse. They defend well, they press with organisation, and if they get the first goal, the match becomes a long evening for their opponent.
Where it leaves the tournament

The beauty of AFCON is that every prediction feels flimsy the moment the ball starts rolling. Favourites rarely walk smoothly. Underdogs rarely stay quiet. A team can look unstoppable one week and disappear the next. This year looks no different. Morocco might be the strongest. Senegal might be the most complete. Ivory Coast might be the most dangerous when they click. But somewhere out there, an underdog is preparing for its moment, and AFCON always gives someone that stage.

When the tournament begins, all of this will feel naïve. Someone unexpected will rise. Someone certain will fall. And that unpredictability is exactly why the continent waits for this tournament like no other.