Down to the last eight – all you need to know about the AFCON quarterfinals

It's squeaky bum time

Tuesday’s fixtures were the last of the Round of 16, where Algeria scored a dramatic late winner against DR Congo to book their quarterfinal spot with Nigeria.

It was a different story in the other clash of the evening, however.

Ivory Coast won convincingly 3-0 against Burkina Faso led by Manchester United star Amad Diallo, and now “the Elephants” as title holders will face the record seven-time champions Egypt in the quarterfinals.

Who are the AFCON 2025 quarterfinalists?

Eight of the top 10 African nations are through, including AFCON title holders Ivory Coast and hosts Morocco.

The teams:

Senegal
Mali
Morocco
Cameroon
Egypt
Nigeria
Algeria
Ivory Coast

You could argue there were no big surprises, with some of the competition’s biggest favourites all reaching this stage.

What days are the quarterfinals played and when do the matches start?

Friday, January 9

Mali - Senegal, 5pm (16:00 GMT)
Ibn Batouta Stadium, Tangier

Cameroon - Morocco, 8pm (19:00 GMT)
Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat

Saturday, January 10

Algeria - Nigeria, 5pm (16:00 GMT)
Marrakesh Stadium, Marrakesh

Egypt - Ivory Coast, 8pm (19:00 GMT)
Adrar Stadium, Agadir

When did AFCON 2025 start, and when does it finish?

Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco started during the festive season, on December 21 and concludes on January 18.

The final is scheduled to be played at the Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco’s capital.

Who are the favourites to win it all?

Ivory Coast as title holders and the hosts Morocco as Arab champions started the tournament as frontrunners.

However, Nigeria have been the most impressive with their performances so far in all of their fixtures.

Algeria is the only side other than Nigeria to win all their games.

Mohamed Salah’s Egypt are seen as strong contenders too as they have also lived up to their reputation in the tournament.

Who are the top goalscorers at 2025 Africa Cup of Nations?

Real Madrid star Brahim Diaz leads with four goals in just as many games, while six players have three goals each.

Liverpool's Mohamed Salah has three goals in just as many games, as he was rested for the final game in the group phase.

Full top scorers list