The opening round of group-stage matches at the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 has been successfully completed in Morocco, with the final first-round fixtures in Groups E and F bringing an exciting start to Africa’s premier football competition.
In Group E, Burkina Faso claimed a 2–1 victory over Equatorial Guinea, while Algeria produced a dominant display to defeat Sudan 3–0. Group F action saw defending champions Ivory Coast grind out a narrow 1–0 win against Mozambique, as Cameroon also secured maximum points with a 1–0 victory over Gabon.
Beyond the results on the pitch, the most striking storyline of AFCON 2025 so far has been the remarkable turnout of supporters in stadiums across Morocco. Compared to the Africa Cup of Nations 2023 held in Ivory Coast, this year’s tournament has recorded a significant rise in attendance.
Official stadium announcements and verified online sources indicate that total first-round attendance reached 236,849 spectators, comfortably surpassing the 197,880 recorded at the same stage in 2023.
The tournament-opening match involving hosts Morocco against Comoros set the tone, drawing a record 60,180 fans, the highest single-match attendance so far. Other fixtures also attracted solid crowds, with matches such as Cameroon versus Gabon pulling in 35,200 spectators, while encounters involving traditional heavyweights like Egypt, Nigeria, Senegal and Tunisia continued to reflect strong fan interest throughout the opening round.
On the field, the first round delivered entertaining football, with 12 matches producing a total of 29 goals, underlining the competitive balance and attacking intent on display.
With momentum building both on and off the pitch, attention now turns to the second round of group-stage matches, which are scheduled to begin on Friday, December 26, starting with fixtures from Groups A and B as the race for knockout qualification intensifies.