AFCON: Winners & Losers of Group Stage ranked by Sports Talk

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco continues to assert itself as the premier football competition during this festive season.

The tournament has been defined by electrifying matches, world-class performances from superstars, and an atmosphere filled with passion and intensity.

As attention shifts to the round of 16, Sports Talk ranks the winners and losers of the group stage after 24 matches involving 24 teams.

Winners

Algeria & Nigeria show early promises

Nigeria and Algeria are the only teams that maintained a 100 per cent record in the group stage with a maximum nine points from three games.

Vladimir Petkovic’s Algeria were dominant against Burkina Faso, Sudan and Equatorial Guinea with Zinedine Zidane’s son, Luca keeping a clean sheet in the first two matches while Riyad Mahrez led with his playmaking flair.

Nigeria also finished with a perfect record with Ademola lookman and Raphael Onyedika shining for Eric Chelle’s team.

Morocco’s record attendance

An average of 62,500 spectators have watched each of Morocco’s group games, with the encounter against Mali still the most-watched game at the AFCON with 63,844 spectators present at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Boxing Day.

The second most-watched game in Morocco was the Atlas Lions’ 3-0 victory against Zambia with 62,532 spectators on December 29 while the opening game against Comoros had 60,180 spectators being the third-most attended game.

DR Congo remain dark horses

The Democratic Republic of Congo roared into the knockout phase of the competition after finishing second in Group D, just behind Senegal in a tightly contested group.

The Leopards showed their credentials to contend for a third AFCON trophy after holding a technical Senegal side to a 1-1 draw and edging a physical Benin to a 1-0 win.

Sebastien Desabre’s squad is a mix of experience, skills and resilience.

Losers

Ivory Coast is a one-man team with Diallo

The defending champions might have won their group but the abysmal start to their final Group F outing against Gabon proved that Ivory Coast is currently a team built on Amad Diallo.

Before Diallo’s introduction in the 76th minute, the Elephants found themselves trailing 2-1 but his presence changed the game in their favour with two late goals that ensured a 3-2 victory.

Against Cameroon, the Manchester United star also made the difference for Emerse Fae’s team in a keenly contested game.

Ivory Coast have not lived up to expectations and would need to up their game in the knockout phase.

Mali’s struggle for rhythm

Mali failed to make a point in the group stage after drawing all three group games against Morocco, Zambia and Comoros.

However, they managed to make it to the Round of 16 as one of the best third-placed teams.

Tom Saintfiet’s side would need a major shift in their tactical set-up if they aim to overcome Tunisia for a spot in the quarter-final on Saturday.

Tanzania’s historic run

For the first time in their history, Tanzania made it to the knockout phase of the Africa Cup of Nations without winning a game.

The Taifa Stars are yet to win a match having played in four editions of the tournament.

After claiming just two points (draws against Uganda and Tunisia) in Group C, Tanzania narrowly edged Angola (Group B) for a place in the next round by a crucial tie-breaker – the most goals scored.