AFCON 2025: Senegal in the Tops, Ivory Coast in the Flops

Tops
Senegal: The Lions completed an impressive course, a real champion’s trail by finishing the competition undefeated. Despite the adversity, the disputed refereeing of Mr. Jean-Jacques Ndala during the final against Morocco and the events that preceded this final, Senegal has never lost sight of its goal and went to seek their second title abroad, after 2022 in Cameroon.

Morocco: despite their defeat in the final against Senegal, Morocco achieved a convincing AFCON, with a well-oiled collective and individualities like Brahim Diaz who shone, even though the Madrid native was unhappy in the final with his missed panenka. With 5 wins, 1 draw, one defeat and only 2 goals conceded, the Atlas Lions will have been impressive, but missed out on a home win that would have further sublimated their journey. But the disappointment of not being able to put an end to scarcity since 1976 will still haunt minds for a few months, before the World Cup in the United States.

Nigeria: Even if they reneged on their identity in the semi-finals against Morocco (0-0, 4-2 penalty shoot-out defeat), Nigeria was one of the best teams of this edition. Eric Chelle has built a collective with an attractive game and individualities at the service of the team. Their victory in the penalty shootout (0-0 ;4-2) in the penalty shoot-out against Egypt in the ranking match proves how well the West African country has always been performing in the Africa Cup of Nations. After the final lost in Côte d'Ivoire, continue with the bronze medal, the ninth of its kind - in the following edition after three different breeders, is a salutary regularity.

Egypt: eliminated in the eighth final in the 2023 edition, the Pharaohs were not necessarily the biggest favorites in 2025. But Mohamed Salah and his team-mates surprised a big crowd, beating South Africa (2-1) on the penalty kill in the group stage before eliminating them from Ivory Coast, the defending champions in the quarter-finals (3-2). A victory would have made the story a little more beautiful, but Egypt lost (1-0) against Senegal, their new bête noire, in the semi-final and lost (2-4) to penalties in the small final against Nigeria. His game was not always the most romantic, but Egypt avoided humiliation by finishing 4th.

Flops
Côte d'Ivoire: reigning champion into this edition, Côte d'Ivoire nourished the ambition to do the double, as recalled Idriss Diallo, president of the FIF after the elimination in the quarter-finals. But Emerse Faé and his men stopped in quarters, beating (3-2) against Egypt after a catastrophic start to the match. The Elephants have disappointed more than one and are far away at five months of the 2026 World Cup.

Algeria: Since their last coronation in 2019, Algeria has continued the humiliations in the Africa Cup of Nations. If they were rather interesting in Morocco, we were expecting more than a quarter-final from the Fennecs who were misled by Nigeria (2-0) and saw their journey stop. After a flawless in the group stage, Vladimir Petkovic and his men sank in shifts, to the great displeasure of their supporters. One of the biggest disappointments of this edition, being the last for Riyadh Mahrez.

DR Congo: fourth in the last edition in Côte d'Ivoire and on an excellent dynamic in the qualifiers then in the playoffs of the 2026 World Cup, DR Congo brought back the dream to its supporters for this edition in Morocco. But after having held against Senegal in the first round (1-1), the Leopards disappointed for the rest of their matches, being eliminated by Algeria in the eighth final. Moving from the semi-finals to the eighth is a big setback for the Leopards who must quickly get back on track for the playoffs of the World Cup in March.

Gabon: Gabon was also one of the biggest disappointments. The Panthers lost 3 matches, their worst performance since the Africa Cup of Nations went to 16 teams. It is also the first time they have finished with zero points in a group stage since their first participation in 1994. A cataclysmic participation that carried coach Thierry Mouyouma, led to a suspension of the national team for a few days before its lifting and the appointment of a new sports minister.

Tunisia: in the ranks of flops, Tunisia cannot hide behind the others, as it has disappointed a large number. Qualified for the eighth final as second in their group, the Carthage Eagles were then disenchanted, losing in shootouts (1-1, 2-3) against a Mali that has been playing with 10 men since the 26th minute of play. Their journey was a great disappointment and the rant of Hanibal Medjri after the elimination illustrates well the state of Tunisian football. Moreover, Samir Trabelsi and his staff were swept away by this failure, leaving their place to Sabri Lamouchi and his team.