AFCON predictions & betting tips 2025

The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is Africa's premier men's international football tournament, held every two years. The 2025 edition features 24 teams split into six groups of four. The group stage ends on December 31 2025, and the knockout stage starts on January 3 2026. The final will be played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on January 18.

MightyTips' pundits will prepare Africa Cup of Nations tips throughout the tournament, giving you plenty to think about. While our CAN predictions won't be 100% perfect, we'll be spot on and prove over the distance that we earn our keep.

The hosts are the team to beat ahead of the tournament. All the factors seem to be in Morocco's favour this time. Home soil, strong momentum, and a well-balanced squad give the Atlas Lions a serious advantage. The team is anchored by the same core that achieved historic success at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, now paired with greater attacking assurance. Compared to past tournaments, Morocco appear far more prepared for the challenge.

Egypt are the next contenders, according to the bookies. The Pharaohs can rely on their stars Omar Marmoush and Mohamed Salah, even though the latter is far from his best form at the moment. Still, you can never write out the most celebrated team in the history of the tournament.

Then come Algeria, champions in 2019. The Fennecs were knocked out of the tournament after the group stage in the last two editions. Now coached by Vladimir Petković, Algeria will be led by highly experienced captain Riyad Mahrez, who has 100+ international matches under his belt.

Senegal are another team with good chances of lifting the trophy. Much will depend on Sadio Mané and Idrissa Gueye, both having over 115 caps for the Lions of Teranga. Now they will be eager to repeat their success in 2021.

Yet it's very hard to go against the hosts, and we all know that the refs will be another of their advantages. Hence, our AFCON winner prediction is Morocco, who previously triumphed just once, in 1976.

AFCON – odds to win tournament

According to the bookies, Morocco are huge favourites. They are followed by Egypt, Algeria and Senegal, who all can be had at very attractive odds. Curiously, the defending champions, the Ivory Coast, are only sixth in the list, at 13.00.

The Africa Cup of Nations is a very low-scoring tournament. For example, in the 2023 edition, only 2.29 goals were scored per game on average, and this number is much higher than in the previous tournaments. Another thing is that the best goalscorer of the last five tournaments couldn't claim gold medals with his team.

Keeping that in mind, you still want to bet on the player whose team will have a deep run in the event. The current form of each player is another huge factor, and we were surprised to see Mohamed Salah as the favourite. He was recently benched at Liverpool, and the current season can be called all but prolific for him.

Victor Osimhen, the key striker for Nigeria, is a much more exciting option, and he can be had at the same odds as Salah. If you decide to opt for an underdog, the experience and magic touch of Sadio Mané are very hard to pass by. The Senegalese sits at 17.00, and it might be a good idea to bet a quarter of a unit on him.

Here are the top 10 players to become the best goalscorer of the tournament and their respective odds:

If talking about long-term betting options, the AFCON winner prediction is the most obvious and popular choice. However, you can always bet on the winner of each group, as well as betting whether each team will qualify from the group or will be eliminated at that stage.

Please note that the two best teams from each group will go through to the knockout stage, but so will the four best third-placed teams. Here are five factors that will determine which third-place teams make the playoffs (listed in order of importance):

• Points
• Goal difference
• Goals scored
• Disciplinary points
• Drawing of lots

Group A: Morocco, Mali, Zambia, Comoros

The hosts are huge favourites in this section, sitting at 1.44. They look much stronger than their opponents, and previous results suggest that as well. Mali are their biggest rivals in the group, yet their best achievement in the tournament is the final more than 50 years ago.

Since we tip Walid Regragui's side to win the whole tournament, our AFCON group A prediction is clear - Morocco will finish first here with Mali claiming second place. Zambia should beat Comoros and finish third, but it remains to be seen whether their goal difference will be good enough for a playoff spot.

Group B: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe

This group promises much more intrigue and will probably go down to the wire. Egypt, the most celebrated team in the Africa Cup of Nations history with seven titles, are the favourites at 1.61. South Africa, which also qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, are sitting at 3.50.

Angola are third in the list at 6.00, but this team can bring surprises and might even finish in first place. One thing is for certain, though - Zimbabwe will be last in this quartet. As for the top spot, the goal difference might come into account. It's a hard one, but we'll make a bold AFCON group B prediction of South Africa finishing first, ahead of Egypt in second.

Group C: Nigeria, Tunisia, Uganda, Tanzania

It's a two-horse race in this one, as Nigeria (1.83) are the favourites to win the group ahead of Tunisia (2.62). This might raise some eyebrows, as the Super Eagles couldn't make it to the 2026 World Cup, while the Eagles of Carthage earned their ticket to North America.

Uganda and Tanzania will fight for the third spot, but neither is likely to make the playoffs. In the battle of the Eagles, we'll take Nigeria's side. Their football is a bit more attacking, and goals will be crucial in the fight for first place, as the match between Nigeria and Tunisia is very likely to finish level. Nigeria to finish first is our AFCON group C prediction.

Group D: Senegal, DR Congo, Benin, Botswana

The AFCON group D prediction looks quite obvious - Senegal will finish first at 1.40. Another team qualified for the FIFA World Cup, the Lions of Teranga have a very good squad. Former Napoli and Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly is their captain, and every international team would love to have such a leader.

DR Congo, who can still qualify for the World Cup via inter-confederation playoffs, have a decent team. However, they'll have their hands full against the Senegalese, and the second place is still a good result for them. Benin and Botswana are the big underdogs here, and Benin should come on top in the head-to-head meeting.

Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan

This quartet is all about Algeria, and they should win all three games and take first place at 1.44. In fact, we'll be ready to eat our hats if our AFCON group E prediction goes wrong. The 2019 champions have all it takes to make a deep run in the tournament, so the group stage shouldn't be too hard of a hurdle.

Burkina Faso should finish second, and Equatorial Guinea will be third. With all respect to Sudan, MightyTips just can't see them finishing anywhere but fourth place. The team doesn't have a single European-based player, and this fact speaks for itself.

Group F: Ivory Coast, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique

The defending champions start their campaign to defend the title in arguably the most even of all six groups. The Elephants managed to make it through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup finals, showing very stable results during the qualification stage.

Cameroon and Gabon both lost in the World Cup CAF playoffs, and both teams are having tough times at the moment. Each side has a star striker in Bryan Mbeumo and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, respectively, but that's about it in terms of class or consistency. Ivory Coast will finish first in this section, but the AFCON group F prediction for second place is a tricky one. We'll go for a surprise by tipping Gabon to take second place, while Cameroon will be third, albeit still going through.

As always, it’s very hard to predict the finalists before the full knockout stage bracket is known, but we’ll give it a go. Since we believe that Morocco will win their second continental title, they are our first finalists. The hosts should finish first in the group, therefore, they will go through to the final from the bottom half.

Now comes the hardest part in choosing their opponents in the final from the top half of the draw. Egypt and Senegal both look worth taking a shot, however, we’ll opt for the defending champions Ivory Coast. The team matured a lot under Emerse Faé, and recent form shows that this team is ready to claim more trophies.

• Group Winners: Morocco @1.44 (Group A), Egypt @1.61 (B), Nigeria @1.83 (C), Senegal @1.40 (D), Algeria @1.44 (E), Ivory Coast @1.83 (F)
• Golden Boot: Victor Osimhen @7.00
• Reach the final: Morocco @2.50 and Ivory Coast @6.00
• To win AFCON: Morocco @3.50

MightyTips' experts consider a wide range of factors that go far beyond standings or player reputation. 

1. One of the most important aspects is team form, including recent competitive matches and performances in friendlies ahead of the tournament. Teams entering the event with strong momentum often carry that confidence, especially in the early stages.
2. Squad quality and depth are also crucial. Most of the top African national teams rely on Europe-based players, so availability, fitness levels, and squad balance play a major role in shaping correct football predictions. Injuries or late withdrawals can significantly alter expectations. Tactical flexibility and coaching experience are equally important, as narrow margins very often decide AFCON matches.
3. Another key factor is the host nation advantage. Playing in familiar conditions, climates, and stadiums - backed by strong local support - can greatly influence outcomes. Travel demands and recovery time between matches are also carefully evaluated, particularly in tightly scheduled group stages.
4. Head-to-head history and playing styles matter as well. Some teams consistently struggle against certain tactical approaches, regardless of their form. Weather conditions, pitch quality, and officiating trends are additional factors that affect AFCON match predictions.
5. Finally, the knockout stage mentality is essential. Teams with experience in high-pressure situations tend to perform better when there's no margin for error. By combining statistical analysis with various insights, our pundits aim to produce more accurate and reliable betting tips across the tournament.

If you love to make long-term bets, there's no shortage of choices for Africa Cup outrights predictions. Betting on the team to win the tournament is the most popular choice, but you can always increase the odds by selecting two teams that will reach the final.

Other interesting betting markets ahead of the tournament are the top scorer, the winner of each group, and the player of the tournament. You can also bet on any team to reach the quarterfinal, the semifinal or the deciding match, as well as choosing the winners group. The latter means that you are backing any of the four teams in the group to win gold medals.