2025 Africa Cup of Nations prediction, best bets and odds: Atlas Lions can stand tall at home

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway in Morocco on Sunday, with the hosts the stand-out favourites on betting sites to lift the trophy in January.

The Atlas Lions are Africa's highest-ranked nation, ranked 11th in the world, and will be heading to the World Cup finals in the US next summer. However, football fans need to go back to 1976 for the last time they were Afcon winners.

They are 11/4 with the football betting sites to end that winless streak, just ahead of Senegal, Algeria and Egypt, who will all go into the tournament with high hopes.

Egypt have won the tournament a record seven times, and they will want a better showing than two years ago when they drew each of their group games to scrape through, only to then be eliminated on penalties by DR Congo.

They last won the tournament in 2010, and with the likes of Liverpool’s Mo Salah, Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush and former Aston Villa winger Mahmoud Trezeguet in the squad, they will certainly be looking to go deep in the tournament.

Ivory Coast are the current holders after beating Nigeria in the 2023 final in Abidjan and home advantage certainly played its part for the Elephants, who won the tournament for the third time. They are 6/1 on football betting apps to retain the trophy.

It’s easy to see why Morocco are the favourites, not just because of their world ranking but also because 12 nations have won the tournament when it has been held in their country. Ivory Coast even managed it despite sacking their manager mid-tournament.

This Morocco squad has a proven track record at major tournaments, reaching the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, although the less said about their shock last-16 exit from Afcon 2023, the better.

Nonetheless, a talented squad – boosted by the availability of skipper Achraf Hakimi – that’s lost just twice since the start of 2024, coupled with the advantage that playing at home brings, should help Morocco justify the pre-tournament favourites tag.

2025 Africa Cup of Nations prediction 1: Morocco to win Afcon - 5/2 Bet365

Liverpool forward Salah is currently the second favourite to finish as the tournament's leading scorer behind Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen, despite his recent issues.

The Egyptian has struggled for form so far this season, but a spell away from Anfield could be just what he needs right now.

He has scored two in his last two appearances for his country, with a brace in the 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Djibouti, and he is expected to captain the Pharaohs in their Group B games against Zimbabwe, South Africa and Angola.

If Salah can hit the ground running and put the recent domestic drama behind him, he could be key for Egypt, but Osimhen has proved he knows where the net is right now and has 31 goals in just 45 appearances for the Super Eagles.

Galatasaray striker Osimhen already has 15 goals in 20 appearances for club and country this season, including three in his last three games, so he will go into the tournament full of confidence.

2025 Africa Cup of Nations prediction 2: Osimhen to finish as top scorer - 6/1 William Hill

There is a strong standout side in each group, so it’s hard to find value, but 10/11 on the Ivory Coast to win Group F seems fair.

It’s not a vintage Ivory Coast team, but there’s plenty of experience in the 26-man squad.

There are just four Premier League players in the squad, with Nottingham Forest's Ibrahim Sangare and Willy Boly being joined by Wolves' Emmanuel Agbadou and Manchester United winger Amad Diallo.

They have left out Sunderland’s Simon Adingra, who was a key player back in 2023, but there is a recall for former Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha after nearly two years out of the squad. Sebastian Haller, who bagged a couple of vital goals at the last Afcon, is also included.

They will face five-time champions Cameroon, Gabon and Mozambique, but once again, there is all sorts of confusion around Cameroon, who seem to be heading to the tournament with two squads and two managers.

Newly re-elected as Cameroon FA president, Samuel Eto'o named David Pagou as the new manager on 1 December, but former boss Marc Brys claimed that he had not been formally sacked.

On 9 December, both men announced their ‘official’ squad list, so we will have to wait and see what happens when they open their campaign against Gabon on Christmas Eve.

The chaos surrounding Cameroon, a Gabon side potentially missing talisman Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang and a Mozambique team that’s never won a game at Afcon all combine to help the Elephants stand out in their section.

2025 Africa Cup of Nations prediction 3: Ivory Coast to win Group F - 10/11 SpreadEx

New customers can secure £50 in free bets for the Africa Cup of Nations when they join Betfred.

To unlock this betting offer, new customers must use the link below and use the Betfred promo code BETFRED50 during the registration process.

After that, users must deposit £10 and bet £10 on any sports market with odds of evens or greater. Once your qualifying bet has settled, you’ll receive £50 in free bets to use on the sportsbook.

Free bets are paid out in 5 x £10 installments and are active for seven days. All free bets can be used to wager on Afcon.

When having a bet, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

Betting can be addictive and it’s important to stay in control of your betting. Never treat gambling as a way to make money, never bet more than you can afford and when the fun stops, stop.

Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help them stay in control.

But if you ever feel like you need help or advice on gambling addiction, don’t hesitate to contact one of the charities or organisations below.

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