The highly anticipated and expanded 2025 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) will begin Sunday, December 21, 2025. This exciting competitive tournament, which begins today, will continue through Sunday, January 18, 2026. This year’s tournament is a departure from that practice. It will be held during the Christmas and New Year period, providing fans with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience the thrill of African football during this joyful festive season. Morocco is famous for their deep cultural roots and colourful fabric of life, along with passionate footballing culture. It will serve as a fitting stage for this momentous event.
This was further complicated by the fact that the tournament’s scheduling was meant for the summer months. Due to the overlap with the Club World Cup, organizers decided to adjust the timeline, ensuring a seamless hosting experience. Morocco can’t wait to host football fans from across the continent and world. The host nation will give teams an incredible stage to fight for the coveted crown.
Host Cities and Stadiums
AFCON 2025 will be staged in six cities all over Morocco, each offering a unique glimpse into the country’s varied landscapes and abundant culture. The chosen host cities are Rabat, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakesh, Agadir and Tangier. Each host city will show off a fantastic collection of just nine stadiums. This arrangement ensures that supporters experience a world-class setup across the tournament.
One of these impressive stadiums is Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier, which has a capacity of 75,000 fans. This impressive venue will be a main base for much of the round-robin matches. Perhaps most importantly, it is again likely to draw tens of thousands of fans eager to support their home countries. The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat has a striking capacity of 68,700. That renders it the perfect venue for showcasing the biggest and best matches.
Adrar Stadium in Agadir, which has a capacity of 45,480 spectators. At the same time, Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca has a maximum capacity of 45,000 fans. Fez Stadium and Marrakesh Stadium have listed capacities of 45,000 and 45,240 respectively. The variety in stadium sizes and locations will enhance the overall experience for supporters, allowing them to enjoy matches in different atmospheric settings.
Impact on Local Economy and Tourism
Additionally, the AFCON tournament is projected to bring enormous economic dividends for Morocco’s local economy. Fans are flooding into the country for the games. This new money will increase tourism-related economic development, allowing business, hotels and restaurants to flourish in the home of the Waves. Combined with more leisure travel, that influx of visitors will power a $6 billion lodging and hospitality boom. It will promote Morocco as a leading destination for major international sporting events.
Local officials and organizers hope the tournament will create hundreds of thousands of job prospects. This is good news for fixed-term workers as well as year-round employees. The concentrated influx of passport holders will require heavier security and infrastructure investments across host cities, providing an additional economic boost.
Additionally, this tournament serves as a platform for Morocco to highlight its rich cultural heritage and tradition of hospitality to the world. Activities surrounding the tournament will likely include cultural exhibitions and local festivities that allow visitors to engage with Moroccan traditions.
A Historic AFCON Tournament
It will be the first time that the tournament is hosted specifically over Christmas/New Year break period. This timing makes for an exciting new format that is sure to draw in more audiences and competitors both.
As teams from all 51 nations in Africa prepare to battle for continental supremacy, excitement is brewing among fans and participants alike. That distinctive scheduling carries with it the promise of exciting new matchups. As countries jockey for the crown, competition will brew undercutting the joy typically felt in one of the year’s happiest seasons.
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