Egypt and Nigeria aim for the quarterfinals at AFCON – as hosts Morocco booked their quarterfinal with Cameroon

A heavyweight quarterfinal on Friday awaits

Cameroon, on the other hand, edged South Africa 2-1 - thanks to a goal in each half by Junior Tchamadeu and Christian Kofane - and survived a late scare as South Africa pulled one back late in the game.

The goal scored by Evidence Makgopa in the 88th minute turned out to be only a consolation goal for Bafana Bafana, as they exit the tournament.

Five-time AFCON champions Cameroon now face the hosts, Morocco, in a heavyweight quarterfinal on Friday.

Tournament hosts progressed with a hard-fought 1-0 win

Most of the pressure will be on Morocco, as they aim to win an AFCON title for the first time in 50 years in front of their home fans.

Morocco saw off Tanzania earlier on Sunday thanks to a Brahim Diaz goal, which was enough to put the hosts into the quarterfinals.

Tanzania had their opportunities in spite of Morocco dominating possession, and it took a fine strike from the Real Madrid man in the 64th minute to separate the sides in the end.

Diaz said in a post-match interview that Tanzania was the toughest opponent so far for the hosts.

“The competition is hotting up, and we faced our toughest opponent in ‌this Tanzania team,” Diaz said.

“Not everything worked, we know that, but fortunately, we managed to secure our qualification [to the next round]. Now, we are going back to work to be fully ready for the quarterfinals.”

Senegal – Mali, the first quarter-final at 2025 AFCON

Mali won the penalty shootout against Tunisia after a 1-1 draw on Saturday, setting up quarterfinal with Senegal.

What made Mali's dramatic win impressive is that they played with ten men from the 26th minute at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, after defender Woyo Coulibaly got sent off.

Senegal clinched a 3-1 victory over Sudan in the first Round of 16 match, as Pape Gueye scored twice, after an early Sudan goal scored by Aamir Abdallah.

Teenager Ibrahim Mbaye then put the outcome beyond doubt four minutes after coming off the bench.

Egypt face Benin, Nigeria needs to overcome Mozambique

Egypt finished top of Group B unbeaten with seven points, but played a goalless draw in the final group match against Angola.

Key players, such as Premier League stars Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush were rested however, and the Pharaohs fielded a second-string lineup.

The record seven-time AFCON champions are chasing their first title since 2010 and the Liverpool star man Mo Salah is chasing his first, so Egypt are obviously under bigger pressure than their opponents Benin, who will be hoping to spring another AFCON upset on Monday.

Nigeria asserted their dominance early in the tournament as they were the first side to book a round of 16 place, thanks to a perfect group-stake record.

The Super Eagles as Group C winners on Monday face Mozambique, who finished third in Group F with three points and are making their first appearance in an AFCON knockout stage.

Mozambique ended a 40-year wait for a victory at the AFCON finals by edging Gabon 3-2, a result that ultimately secured their progression.

They chase a maiden win over Nigeria as they have lost four times and drawn once in their five previous meetings.