We’re just over a month away from the start of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Morocco will be the hosts as 23 other nations meet to be crowned the best of Africa. Ivory Coast are the defending champions having lifted their third title in 2023, beating Nigeria in the final.
There won’t be any new teams on display at the tournament, though Comoros and Botswana will both be making just a second appearance. Egypt will extend their record with their 27th tournament.
Across the 24 teams there will be a lot of stars to watch out for. Some are obvious, others might not be as well known. We’ve selected the pick of the bunch.
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Ismael Saibari (Morocco)
Ismael Saibari has been at PSV for the past five years and he has been performing well. He was directly involved in 22 goals in the Eredivisie last season, scoring 11 and providing 11 assists. But this feels like the campaign in which Saibari will really show what he can do.
Saibari is the second-top scorer in the Eredivisie this season, scoring eight goals in his 11 matches. They’ve come at an average of 0.78 per 90 minutes, which is a fantastic return for a midfielder. He leads the competition for shots at 43, while ranking third for efforts on target (18). The 24-year-old also sits top of the Eredivisie for take-ons completed, with 27 — of 42 overall, the second-best.
He’s one of Afcon’s finest players in Europe’s big leagues this season, and Morocco will be hoping he carries that form into the tournament. The 24-year-old has five goals for his national side, including two in qualifying for this winter’s tournament.
Karl Etta Eyong (Cameroon)
Our next player currently plies his trade in La Liga and has been in Spain for all of his professional career. Karl Etta Eyong made the move from Villarreal to Levante in the summer and is thriving in Spain’s top flight.
The Cameroonian has been directly involved in nine goals in La Liga so far this season, with only Kylian Mbappe (15) being involved in more. Etta Eyong’s involvements have been split across six goals and three assists, with the former still ranking him third in La Liga. More impressive is the fact that he leads La Liga for headed goals, with half of his strikes coming from that body part. In fact, no player across Europe’s top five leagues have scored more headed goals than Etta Eyong’s three.
Cameroon have some good goalscorers in theri squad, so Etta Eyong is unlikely to start. But he will certainly make the most of any opportunity he does get.
Ilan Kebbal (Algeria)
Another player with a lot of goal involvements is Algeria’s Ilan Kebbal. The 27-year-old was born in France and has been in the country for his entire career. He only made his first appearance for Algeria in August, having previously been called up four years ago without earning a cap. And it was fully deserved.
Kebbal has scored five goals and provided four assists for Paris FC, with only two players directly involved in more goals. His four assists is the joint-most in Ligue 1, and he also ranks third for chances created (26). Kebbal is a very attacking winger, always looking to get his team into dangerous areas, with the second-most through-balls attempted and fifth-most final third passes attempted in Ligue 1 this season. All four of his assists have come from open play too.
Steve Mounie (Benin)
A bit of a throwback name, Steve Mounie is still only 31 and will be looking to lead Benin far at Afcon. The former Huddersfield Town striker is Benin’s captain and chasing history, needing just two goals to equal Stephane Sessegnon as Benin’s all-time top scorer. He’ll be hoping to overtake him at the tournament.
Mounie is now playing in Turkey with Alanyaspor, on loan from Bundesliga side Augsburg. But he hasn’t really played. The striker has made three appearances in the league, with two coming off the bench. Mounie suffered an injury in the October international break which has ruled him out since. But the 31-year-old is expected to return in time for Afcon.
And it will be a welcome return, with Mounie one of Benin’s guaranteed starters.
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Cedric Bakambu (DR Congo)
Cedric Bakambu is now 34. So there’s an argument that this could be his final Afcon for DR Congo. And there’s also a chance for him to make a bit of history. Bakambu is just two goals behind Dieumerci Mbokani on the list of all-time top scorers for DR Congo, sitting on 20. Three of those goals have come in 2025, while Bakambu also netted two goals at Afcon in 2019. So it’s entirely feasible.
Bakambu is a starter for DR Congo, but there haven’t been many opportunities to see what he can do at club level this season. The 34-year-old is now playing in La Liga with Real Betis. But his seven league appearances this season have brought just 65 minutes on the pitch. Bakambu has still managed to score a goal during that time, but you can’t really judge him off that. This is all about him making history.
Emilio Nsue (Equatorial Guinea)
We’ve got another throwback player that some may not realise is still playing. Emilio Nsue, now 36, should be present at Afcon, leading the line for Equatorial Guinea. The former Middlesbrough and Birmingham City man has an interesting international story too.
Nsue was born in Spain and played at youth levels, winning the Under-19 Euros and Under-21 Euros in 2007 and 2011, respectively. But in 2013 he was called up and represented Equatorial Guinea — eligible through his dad. However, they did not check with Fifa and so Equatorial Guinea actually had to forfeit World Cup qualifying games he played.
Nsue went on to play for Equatorial Guinea in three Afcons and won the tournament’s Golden Boot in 2023. But his ineligibility was once again brought up in 2024 and Nsue was banned for six months, with Equatorial Guinea forfeiting more World Cup qualifying matches.
Finally, in March 2025, Nsue was given permission to change international allegiances by Fifa — meaning he is actually eligible to represent his father’s country. Twelve years after he made his debut.
Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)
Victor Osimhen is unlikely to make history at Afcon. He is on 29 goals for Nigeria and trails all-time top scorer Rashidi Yekini by eight. Only three players have scored at least eight goals in a single Afcon in the tournament’s history. And only one of those came in the 21st century. But Osimhen will travel to Morocco looking to get close.
Despite scoring 29 goals for Nigeria, Osimhen has only netted once at a major tournament. That came at Afcon in 2023, when Nigeria made it all the way to the final. That was Osimhen’s first tournament as a starter for Nigeria, with seven of his eight such appearances coming in 2023.
Osimhen is now a permanent Galatasaray player and has scored nine goals in 11 games across all competitions. Six have come in the Champions League, including a recent hat-trick against Ajax. Maybe he could overtake Yekini in Morocco.
Mo Salah (Egypt)
We’ll end on a boring one. Because, of course Mo Salah is a player to watch. Perhaps even more so now because we don’t know what we’ll expect. Salah has been directly involved in six Premier League goals this season, scoring four and providing two assists. He did suffer a bit of a drought, but he loooks to be finding form at the right time for Egypt.
Not that his form has ever really dipped for Egypt. Salah has sccored four goals in five games for Egypt this year, helping them qualify for the World Cup next summer. That includes a brace in his most recent appearance against Djibouti. Now, Salah is also closing in on a record. He sits just six goals behind Hossam Hassan on the list of Egypt’s all-time top scorers. Salah is on 63 goals in 108 games, and will likely take the record soon. It’s just a question of if he can do it this winter.