The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) knockout bracket has begun to take a formidable shape as officials confirmed the first two quarter-final matchups following a dramatic weekend of Round of 16 football. Defending champions Senegal, tournament hosts Morocco, and continental heavyweights Cameroon and Mali have all secured their progression to the final eight.
These elite teams will converge on Friday, January 9, 2026, for a double-header that promises to deliver some of the most intense footballing action of the competition so far.
The opening last-eight encounter features a thrilling West African derby between Senegal and Mali, scheduled for a 5:00 PM local time kickoff this Friday. The Teranga Lions demonstrated their championship resilience on Saturday by dismantling Sudan in a 3-1 comeback victory after conceding a surprising early goal. Their opponents, the Eagles of Mali, navigated a far more grueling path to qualification; they eventually overcame Tunisia in a tense penalty shootout following a 1-1 deadlock that lasted through 120 minutes of exhausting play.
Later that same evening, at 8:00 PM local time, host nation Morocco will face off against Cameroon in what analysts describe as a “clash of the titans.” The Atlas Lions booked their place in the quarter-finals by edging out Tanzania with a controlled 1-0 performance on Sunday, much to the delight of the home crowd in Rabat. They now face an Indomitable Lions squad that showcased trademark defensive grit to hold off a late South African surge, securing a 2-1 win that ended Bafana Bafana’s hopes of advancing further.
While these four nations prepare for their Friday showdowns, the remaining half of the quarter-final bracket remains undecided. The final four spots will go to the victors of the remaining Round of 16 fixtures taking place today, Monday, and tomorrow, Tuesday. With heavyweights like Nigeria, Egypt, and Algeria still in the hunt, fans anticipate a complete quarter-final lineup by Wednesday morning as the tournament accelerates toward the grand finale on January 18.
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