The tournament that never sleeps just woke up
Four days. Twelve matches. Six groups. One undeniable truth: AFCON 2025 is already sorting the serious from the hopeful.
Morocco welcomed 24 nations to its shores for the continent's biggest prize, and matchday 1 delivered exactly what we've come to expect from African football—chaos wrapped in brilliance, last-minute drama, and tactical revelations hiding in plain sight.
Let's break down what actually happened, because the scorelines only tell half the story.
The comfortable victors: Algeria and Tunisia set the standard
While most favorites were grinding out narrow wins, Algeria and Tunisia reminded everyone why they deserve respect.
Algeria 3-0 Sudan wasn't just a win—it was a statement. Riyad Mahrez, often dismissed as finished at the elite level since his Saudi Arabia move, needed just 82 seconds to score. By the time he added his second after the hour mark, the narrative was already being rewritten. The former Manchester City winger still has it when he wants it. Ibrahim Maza's late goal—Algeria's 100th in AFCON history—capped a dominant display.
Worth noting: Zinedine Zidane watched from the stands in Rabat. His parents are Algerian. Make of that what you will.
Tunisia, meanwhile, handled Uganda with the kind of clinical efficiency that got them to 17 consecutive AFCON appearances. 3-0, no drama, no anxiety. Ellyes Skhiri opened the scoring after 10 minutes, and the Carthage Eagles never looked back. They play Nigeria next. That's when we'll really know.
The favorites who made it hard on themselves
Morocco, Egypt, and Nigeria all won. They also all looked vulnerable.
Morocco 2-0 Comoros sounds comfortable until you realize the hosts—playing at home, against the tournament's weakest team—couldn't score in the first half. The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium grew restless. When Brahim Diaz finally broke through, relief outweighed celebration.
Then came the moment of the matchday: Ayoub El Kaabi's bicycle kick. Upside down, backwards, perfect. Goal of the tournament, and we're four days in. But Morocco needs more than individual brilliance if it wants to end a title drought stretching back to 1976.
Egypt had it worse. 2-1 over Zimbabwe required Mohamed Salah to rescue them in injury time. The seven-time champions went behind against the run of play when Prince Dube caught them cold. Omar Marmoush equalized, but it took the Liverpool star—doing what he always does—to snatch victory. Egypt cannot afford to be this careless against better opposition.
Nigeria's 2-1 win over Tanzania followed a similar script. The Super Eagles dominated possession but couldn't kill the game. Victor Osimhen threatened repeatedly, visibly frustrated at times. Tanzania made them work for everything. Nigeria meets Tunisia on Saturday in what's shaping up as a genuine group decider.
The defending champions grind it out
Ivory Coast's title defense began with a 1-0 win over Mozambique—and if you blinked, you might have missed the action.
Amad Diallo, electric for Manchester United this season, carried that form to Marrakech. He missed chances in the first half, then converted a rebound four minutes into the second. That was it. One goal, three points, move on.
The Elephants looked controlled rather than commanding. Wilfried Zaha added attacking threat without end product. Sebastien Haller's absence through injury leaves them light up front. They're still favorites, but they'll need more than 1-0 wins to retain their crown.
Cameroon's 1-0 victory over Gabon told a similar story. Karl Etta Eyong scored in the sixth minute after a Bryan Mbeumo setup—the Brentford winger earning man of the match honors. Gabon improved dramatically after halftime, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang entering as a substitute, but the Indomitable Lions held firm.
The late drama merchants
Burkina Faso 2-1 Equatorial Guinea deserves its own category. Down a man since the second half, Equatorial Guinea somehow took the lead in the 85th minute through Marvin Anieboh. It looked like the upset of the matchday.
Then Georgi Minoungou equalized in the fifth minute of stoppage time. Then Edmond Tapsoba—the Bayer Leverkusen defender who shouldn't even be that far forward—won it with the last kick of the game.
Football makes no sense sometimes. That's why we watch.
Zambia's search for an AFCON win since lifting the trophy in 2012 continues after a 1-1 draw with Mali. Willard Mwanza saved a penalty and performed heroics throughout, but Lassine Sinayoko eventually broke through for the Eagles. Then Patson Daka—inevitable, really—headed home an injury-time equalizer to steal a point.
South Africa, in contrast, handled business efficiently. 2-0 over Angola, with Lyle Foster's spectacular strike sealing it. Bafana Bafana look organized and dangerous. They might be the dark horses nobody wants to face.
What matchday 1 actually tells us
The favorites all advanced, but the margins varied wildly. Algeria and Tunisia look ready. Morocco, Egypt, and Nigeria look beatable. Ivory Coast and Cameroon are grinding more than gliding.
The tournament's second matchday begins December 26. Morocco faces Mali. Egypt plays Angola. The real tests are coming.
What we learned from the opening round: talent alone isn't enough. The teams that handled pressure—composure, game management, tactical discipline—look most likely to survive the knockout rounds.
The pretenders won't hide forever. AFCON never lets them.