AFCON 2025: Fierce Battles As Quarter-Finalists Jointly Parade 22 Titles

TrendCast January 9, 2026

Fierce Battles As Quarter-Finalists Jointly Parade 22 Titles

As hostilities for the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 flag-off today, the pairings bring together a collection of teams whose combined pedigree underlines the scale of the challenge ahead in this year’s tournament.

Interestingly, the eight remaining nations having collectively won the continental title 22 times, thus ranking them among the Continent’s elite performers in the round leather game.

Seven of the eight quarter-finalists on parade are former African champions, a level of historical concentration rarely seen at this stage of the competition, and one that sets the tone for a fiercely competitive run-in to the final match.

Leading the pack are record seven-time winners, Pharaohs of Egypt, joined by five-time champions, Indomitable Lions of Cameroon, and three-time winners, Elephants of Cote d’Ivoire and the Super Eagles of Nigeria.

The list also has former champions Desert Warriors of Algeria, Teranga Lions of Senegal and hosts, Atlas Lions of Morocco with the only exception being the Eagles of Mali, who are still searching for a first continental crown despite earning admiration for their resilience and consistency over recent editions.

Notably, all six group winners – Morocco, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Egypt, Algeria and Nigeria – progressed directly to the quarter-finals, reinforcing the sense that the tournament’s leading contenders have asserted themselves at the decisive stage.

Cameroon and Mali, both runners-up in their groups, also advanced, while all teams that qualified as best third-placed sides were eliminated in the Round of 16.

The Round of 16 itself underlined the weight of experience carried by the quarter-finalists.

While Nigeria delivered a statement victory, Mali eliminated 2004 champions Tunisia on penalties, Egypt edged through extra time, and Algeria needed late drama to progress, with hosts Morocco and holders Cote d’Ivoire negotiating tense encounters under pressure to gain their last eight berths.

One of the headline fixtures sees record seven-time winners Egypt lock horns with defending champions Côte d’Ivoire in a high-profile quarter-final on Saturday.

Tournament hosts Morocco face a formidable challenge against five-time champions Cameroon on Friday, in a contest expected to rank among the most fiercely contested matches of the last eight.

Friday’s opening quarter-final delivers an all–West African battle, with holders Senegal taking on a determined and gifted Mali side.

Nigeria and Algeria, two of the continent’s traditional powerhouses, will go head-to-head in Saturday’s opening tie with pundits. The Super Eagles have been on the losing end in their last three encounters with the Desert Warriors.

Of these defeats, two were in friendly matches, but the most painful was Algeria’s 2-1 win over Nigeria in a tense Africa Cup of Nations semi-final tie at the 1999 tournament where forward Riyad Mahrez curled in a free kick in stoppage time to snatch victory.

With pedigree and ambition on display across the board, the quarter-finals promise a compelling run of encounters as the tournament moves closer to its conclusion.

Given so much history concentrated in the last eight, the quarter-final matches promise a level of intensity and tactical quality befitting the latter stages of Africa’s premier football competition.

History, expectation and ambition now converge as the remaining teams chase continental supremacy in Morocco.

AFCON titles among the quarter-finalists
Egypt – 7 titles

Cameroon – 5 titles

Cote d’Ivoire – 3 titles

Nigeria – 3 titles

Algeria – 2 titles

Senegal – 1 title

Morocco – 1 title

Mali – 0 titles

Total titles represented: 22

AFCON 2025 Quarter-final fixtures kick-off times in GMT

Friday, 9 January
16:00 — Mali vs Senegal
19:00 — Cameroon vs Morocco