Harambee Stars captain names his top contenders for 2025 AFCON title
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 26.11.25. | 19:56
Rabat will be the epicentre, with four world-class venues ready to host matches, headlined by the iconic Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, a 69,500-seater set to stage the opening match, a semi-final, and the grand final
Harambee Stars captain Michael Olunga has backed Morocco to build on their historic World Cup run and clinch the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.
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Morocco will host the continent’s premier football competition beginning next month, and with just 30 days to go, the North African giants are putting final touches on what promises to be one of the most ambitious tournaments ever staged on African soil.
The competition kicks off on 21 December, 2025, and runs until 18 January, 2026, featuring 24 teams, that will be fighting for continental glory across nine state-of-the-art stadiums in six cities.
Rabat will be the epicentre, with four world-class venues ready to host matches, headlined by the iconic Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, a 69,500-seater set to stage the opening match, a semi-final, and the grand final.
Other host cities include Tangier, home to the Ibn Batouta Stadium which will also hold a semi-final, Casablanca, Agadir, Fès and Marrakech, the latter set to stage quarter-final ties.
The Rabat Olympic Stadium, with a 21,000 capacity, will host several group-stage matches.
Morocco’s rapid infrastructure upgrades, especially in Rabat, have transformed the capital into a futuristic sporting hub ahead of the continental showcase.
Speaking to Flashscore, Olunga named his top picks for the title, placing the Atlas Lions at the summit due to their home advantage and recent pedigree.
“AFCON is always a tight call. Ivory Coast and Egypt were really strong in the qualifiers, so I would put them in the top three,” Olunga said.
“Morocco, they are playing at home and will have the crowd behind them. And we all know what they did at the World Cup. Even in the qualifiers, they had an impressive run. So for me, I would say Morocco, Egypt and Ivory Coast as the top three.”
Kenya, meanwhile, will miss yet another edition of the tournament after failing to progress from the qualifiers.
Harambee Stars ended their campaign with a dull goalless draw against Namibia at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, South Africa.
They finished third in Group J on six points, Cameroon topped the pool with 14 points, Zimbabwe followed with nine, while Namibia collected just two.
Cameroon and Zimbabwe will represent the group in Morocco.
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup now approaching, Olunga also reflected on Kenya’s struggles on the qualification front, pointing to the team’s prolonged lack of a CAF-approved home venue as a major handicap.
“We started the competition well, but we played most of our games outside the country because we did not have proper CAF-accredited stadiums,” he said. “Lack of playing at home can really derail performances.”
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Olunga believes the recent clearance of local facilities is a turning point.
“Now that stadiums have been inspected and we have managed to play most of our recent home games, you can see the transition. We’re generating good results. So I believe going forward, with the team coming up, we’re going to produce positive results and hopefully qualify for the next editions.”
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