The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations enters a decisive phase on Monday as the final round of group matches in Groups A and B gets underway, with qualification for the knockout stage firmly on the line.
In Group A, Mali take on Comoros in a must-win encounter for both sides. The two nations are tied on a single point, and victory for either will guarantee a place in the next round of the tournament. Defeat, however, will mean an early exit.
Hosts Morocco sit top of the group with four points and are well placed to progress, but they will need to avoid defeat against Zambia to seal their spot in the round of 16. Zambia and Mali are both on two points, keeping the group wide open heading into the final night of matches.
In Group B, the spotlight will fall on the Southern Africa derby between South Africa and Zimbabwe, the standout fixture of the day.
Bafana Bafana head into the match under pressure after suffering a narrow 1–0 defeat to Egypt in their previous outing, a game they dominated for long spells without reward. South Africa know that failure to pick a result could see their AFCON campaign come to an abrupt end.
Zimbabwe, on one point, have everything to play for. A win would see the Warriors move ahead of their neighbours and book a place in the knockout stages alongside Egypt, who have already qualified after collecting maximum points from their opening two matches.
Bottom-placed Angola, also on one point, still have a mathematical chance of progressing but, like Zimbabwe, must pull off an upset against the seven-time champions Egypt to keep their tournament hopes alive.
All matches in each group will kick off simultaneously to ensure sporting integrity, with Group B fixtures getting the action underway.
Monday, December 29, 2025 – AFCON Fixtures
- Angola vs Egypt
- Zimbabwe vs South Africa
- Comoros vs Mali
- Zambia vs Morocco
