Morocco Edition Sees Record Arab Presence in AFCON Round of 16 with Five Teams

01 January 2026at12:45

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals, currently being held in Morocco, are witnessing an unprecedented Arab presence in the Round of 16. Five Arab national teams have successfully reached the knockout stage, marking a new record since this stage was adopted in the tournament.

The Round of 16 is a relatively recent addition to the Africa Cup of Nations, having been introduced for the first time in the 2019 edition after the number of participating teams was increased from 16 to 24. Under the tournament's format, teams were divided into six groups of four. The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, qualified to complete the 16 teams for the knockout stage.

The Egyptian national team was the first Arab side to secure its qualification, soon followed by Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia. This brought the total number of qualified Arab teams to five, while the Comoros national team failed to advance to the same stage.

Q&A

Which Arab national teams made history by qualifying for the AFCON 2025 Round of 16?

Egypt, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, and Tunisia collectively set a new record with five Arab nations advancing to the AFCON 2025 Round of 16, an unprecedented achievement since the knockout stage's introduction.

How did the AFCON tournament format changes contribute to this record number of Arab teams in the Round of 16?

The expansion of the Africa Cup of Nations to 24 teams in 2019, which introduced the Round of 16, allowed more teams to qualify through group stages, including the four best third-placed teams.

CAF Africa Cup of Nations