Arab Nations Chase a Historic AFCON Semi: Morocco Hosts a Dream Run in 2025

Arab nations eye a historic semifinal at AFCON 2025 in Morocco

As the group stage concludes at the Africa Cup of Nations hosted in Morocco, the path to the semifinals is becoming clear.

Five Arab nations have made the Round of 16, keeping alive a strong chance to lift a trophy that has eluded Arab sides in the last two editions.

This edition could record an unprecedented twist, with four Arab teams possibly reaching the semifinals for the first time in the tournament’s long history.

In the Round of 16, Tunisia will play Mali, with the winner facing the victor of Senegal versus Sudan on January 9 in Tangier’s stadium.

Egypt faces Benin in the same round, with the eventual qualifier meeting Ivory Coast or Burkina Faso in Agadir on January 10.

Morocco will take on Tanzania next, and the winner will advance to a potential quarterfinal against the South Africa-Cameroon survivor in Rabat on January 9.

In the fourth route, the Algeria-DR Congo winner will meet Nigeria or Mozambique in Marrakech on January 10.

Thanks to this schedule, there is real room for a fully Arab semifinal, with only a possible Tunisia-Sudan quarterfinal as a rare Arab-vs-Arab clash in the mix.

If this unfolds, it would mark a historic milestone the tournament has never seen before. And if you think that sounds spicy, imagine the trophy needing subtitles to keep up with the dialogue!

Stay tuned—this is football’s theatre, and the script is still being rewritten. Punchline: if four Arab teams make the semis, the trophy might file for dual citizenship to fit in better with the crowd. Punchline 2: the only thing more dramatic than a thriller is a corner kick that actually curls into the net with style.