With the 2026 FIFA World Cup just around the corner, a competition dominated by European and South American countries, theAfrica Cup of Nations has the opportunity to take centre stage in the footballing world and showcase talent that will be in North America mid-way through next year.
As a standalone competition in its own right, AFCON can often produce some of the most hectic and interesting storylines in football, balanced with some of the very best and most recognisable players in the game. Let's look at the latest betting odds for the 2025/26 renewal.
AFCON Betting Odds
| Morocco | 11/4 | Sky Bet |
| Egypt | 13/2 | SpreadEx |
| Senegal | 13/2 | Paddy Power |
| Algeria | 7/1 | SpreadEx |
| Nigeria | 10/1 | Sky Bet |
| Ivory Coast | 12/1 | Bet365 |
| Mali | 14/1 | SpreadEx |
| Tunisia | 16/1 | SpreadEx |
| Cameroon | 18/1 | Virgin Bet |
MORE: Best UK free bets | Biggest December events | Top 10 Football Betting Sites
Who is the favourite to win AFCON?
Hosts Morocco head into the tournament as the favourites with the bookmakers, and it is not just the fact that they are hosting the competition that marks them out as such.
They became the first ever African side to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, defeating Belgium, Spain and Portugal on their way to finishing fourth.
If anything, Walid Regragui’s squad is now stronger and deeper than that iteration of the Atlas Lions and, after an impressive showing at the FIFA Arab Cup, they are now unbeaten in 25 official matches (excluding the CAF African Nations Championship) since losing to South Africa in the round of 16 of the previous AFCON in January 2024.
AFCON Winners Year by Year
| Year | Hosts | Winners | Runners' up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1957 | Sudan | Egypt | Ethiopia |
| 1959 | United Arab Republic | United Arab Republic | Sudan |
| 1962 | Ethiopia | Ethiopia | United Arab Republic |
| 1963 | Ghana | Ghana | Sudan |
| 1965 | Tunisia | Ghana | Tunisia |
| 1968 | Ethiopia | Congo-Kinshasa | Ghana |
| 1970 | Sudan | Sudan | Ghana |
| 1972 | Cameroon | People's Republic of Congo | Mali |
| 1974 | Egypt | Zaire | Zambia |
| 1976 | Ethiopia | Morocco | Guinea |
| 1978 | Ghana | Ghana | Uganda |
| 1980 | Nigeria | Nigeria | Algeria |
| 1982 | Libya | Ghana | Libya |
| 1984 | Ivory Coast | Cameroon | Nigeria |
| 1986 | Egypt | Egypt | Cameroon |
| 1988 | Morocco | Cameroon | Nigeria |
| 1990 | Algeria | Algeria | Nigeria |
| 1992 | Senegal | Ivory Coast | Ghana |
| 1994 | Tunisia | Nigeria | Zambia |
| 1996 | South Africa | South Africa | Tunisia |
| 1998 | Burkina Faso | Egypt | South Africa |
| 2000 | Ghana / Nigeria | Cameroon | Nigeria |
| 2002 | Mali | Cameroon | Senegal |
| 2004 | Tunisia | Tunisia | Morocco |
| 2006 | Egypt | Egypt | Ivory Coast |
| 2008 | Ghana | Egypt | Cameroon |
| 2010 | Angola | Egypt | Ghana |
| 2012 | Equatorial Guinea / Gabon | Zambia | Ivory Coast |
| 2013 | South Africa | Nigeria | Burkina Faso |
| 2015 | Equatorial Guinea | Ivory Coast | Ghana |
| 2017 | Gabon | Cameroon | Egypt |
| 2019 | Egypt | Algeria | Senegal |
| 2021 | Cameroon | Senegal | Egypt |
| 2023 | Ivory Coast | Ivory Coast | Nigeria |
EXPLAINED: How to bet in-play | Free betting games | Best sports to bet on
AFCON Dates & Schedule
| Stage | Dates |
| Group Stage | Sunday, December 21 - Wednesday, December 31 |
| Round of 16 | Saturday, January 3 - Tuesday, January 6 |
| Quarter-Finals | Friday, January 9 - Saturday, January 10 |
| Semi-Finals | Wednesday, January 14 |
| Third-Place Playoff | Saturday, January 17 |
| Final | Sunday, January 18 |