AFCON 2025: The Records You Didn’t Know About

Sports Stories 21 December 2025 Hits: 103

The 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations will run from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026, and it is not just another tournament. This one is different by design. Different in timing. Different in scale. Different in the kind of records it is quietly stacking up.

Beyond the usual talk of favourites and dark horses, AFCON 2025 is packed with milestones that tell a bigger story about where African football is headed. Some are impressive. Some are uncomfortable. Some are just strange.

Here are the records you probably did not

🎄 A Christmas AFCON, Finally ⏰❄

Photo credit (Discoveringmorocco)

For the first time in 68 years, AFCON will be played during Christmas and New Year. Yes, proper festive-season football. While some people are sharing gifts, others will be sharing hot takes. FIFA booked the summer for its expanded Club World Cup, leaving CAF with very little breathing space. The compromise? Move AFCON to December.

That means African stars will miss Boxing Day in the Premier League, which is like missing Sunday service in England. Coaches will complain. Fans will argue. Life will go on. The tournament will finish in 2026. Same competition, new year. Small confusion possible, but that’s AFCON for you.

🤑 Record Prize Money Raises the Stakes 💰💸

Photo Credit ( CAF Online)

CAF has increased the winner’s prize to 7 million dollars. Big teams see good business. Smaller teams could change everything. Reaching the quarter-finals could fund a domestic league for a full season. Every group game matters.

🇲🇦 Morocco’s Nine-Stadium Statement 🏟️🦁

Photo Credit ( CAF Online)

Morocco are hosting AFCON 2025 with 9 stadiums across 6 cities, a new record. Most hosts use 6, but Morocco looked at six and said, “Add more.” Rabat alone has four stadiums, meaning you could watch two matches in a day and still make it home for dinner. This isn’t just about AFCON. Morocco is sending a message: “We are ready for the World Cup. Observe carefully.”

🇬🇭 Ghana’s Absence Ends a 21-Year Run 😱❌

Photo Credit (GFA)

Ghana will not be at AFCON 2025. For the first time since 2004, the Black Stars failed to qualify, finishing bottom of their group without a single win. No referees to blame. No weather to blame. Just football. For a country that once treated AFCON semi-finals like an annual appointment, this is a serious wake-up call. Reputation alone no longer pays the bills.

🇹🇳 Youssef Msakni Chasing Immortality 👑⚡

Photo Credit ( CAF Online)

Youssef Msakni is about to do something nobody has done before. If he plays in Morocco, it will be his ninth AFCON tournament. That is not experience. That is residence. When he made his debut, some of the current players were still in secondary school then. Others were learning how to tie their boots. With Andre Ayew stuck on 8 appearances due to Ghana’s absence, Msakni walks alone into history, calm and unbothered.

📊 Can Eto’o’s AFCON Goals Record Be Touched? 🎯⚽

Samuel Eto’o’s 18 AFCON goals still sit at the top, untouched. Vincent Aboubakar and Sadio Mane are on 9. Mohamed Salah has 7. All 3 can climb the list if their teams go far.

⚽A Diaspora-Driven Tournament 🌍✈️

AFCON 2025 will feature the highest number of foreign-born players in history. Morocco leads with players developed across Europe: Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands. Different accents, same anthem. Comoros takes it further. Their squad is almost entirely French-born. African football has gone global, and it is working.

Botswana’s Long-Awaited Return 🐾🎉

Photo Credit ( CAF Online)

Botswana returns to AFCON for the first time since 2012. They qualified during a national drought and sealed it with a draw against Egypt in Cairo. They arrive as one of the lowest-ranked teams, but also one of the easiest to support. Every AFCON needs a story like this.

🇿🇦 Hugo Broos and the Age Record 👴💪

Photo Credit ( CAF Online)

Hugo Broos will be 73 during AFCON 2025. If South Africa wins, he will become the oldest coach to lift the trophy. He would also win AFCON with two different countries, having already done it with Cameroon in 2017. An old coach, a young squad, zero fear. Football does not respect age, only results.

🏁 Conclusion ✨👏

AFCON 2025 is not just about lifting the trophy. It is about change, pressure, pride, and the kind of records only Africa produces. Some will be broken. Some will survive. Some will cause arguments for years. By the time the tournament kicks off in Morocco, history will already be waiting. AFCON, as always, will be unforgettable

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