The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has tentatively decided to hold the 2025 Cup of Nations in Morocco in July and August of the following year.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe declined to confirm the dates of the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this month. If the tournament is held in January and February, organisers will have a limited time to organise a qualifying competition.
However, scheduling it for June and July of next year would conflict with FIFA’s expanded Club World Cup, which is set to take place in North America.
On Monday, a member of the competitions committee, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that there was “an agreement in principle between CAF and the Moroccan Football Federation for the AFCON to be held during the summer, more precisely in July and August” of 2025.
“This agreement was found with the support of FIFA after talks that began several months ago and which intensified during the last edition which finished this month in Ivory Coast,” the source added.
“The dates currently proposed are July 20-August 16 or 17, 2025.”
Both of the last two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments experienced delays from their original schedules. The 2021 event, which was initially planned for January and February of that year, was eventually held in January and February of 2022. Similarly, the most recent edition, originally slated for June and July of the preceding year, was postponed due to weather concerns.
Qualification for the 2025 AFCON has not commenced yet, with a preliminary round scheduled to take place next month.
Additionally, the 2027 Cup of Nations will be jointly hosted by Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania.
