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Mohamed Salah, Egypts lead striker
The excitement is building as the best of African football gather in Morocco for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) that kicks off on December 21.
The host nation is pulling out all the stops to deliver an unforgettable tournament, with dazzling displays on exhibition as 24 participating nations fine-tune preparations.
Daily Trust AFCON preview series runs through each group to showcase the nations and their talented players vying for the coveted trophy.
Group B Nations: Egypt, South Africa, Angola, Zimbabwe
Team to beat: Egypt. The third best team in Africa had an unbeaten World Cup qualification series and possess mercurial Mohamed Salah who captains the team.
The 33-year-old will be heavily relied upon to make the difference in Morocco despite his club troubles, and it remains to be seen if Egypt can reclaim the AFCON title.
Whipping Nation: Zimbabwe. The Warriors look out of sorts and have endured poor continental campaigns in recent times. They finished bottom of the World Cup qualifiers without a win, and barely managed to qualify for the AFCON tournament proper.
Ranked 129th in the world, they won just once competitive match so far in 2025, and a gloomy AFCON beckons.
Surprise performer:
Angola. The Palancas Negras are aiming to break their semi-final hoodoo and in Gelson Dala, they have a key player who scored four times at AFCON 2023 and consistently impresses for Angola. The team is a cohesive unit and could spring some surprise in Morocco.
Players to watch: Omar Marmoush would be expected to shine alongside Salah for Egypt, while Ronwen Williams’ heroics between the sticks at last AFCON puts him in the spotlight for a potential repeat performance here.
Fredy will look to create chances for his Angolan colleagues, while Zimbabwe will look up to veteran striker, Knowledge Musona, for inspiration.
Key match: South Africa vs Angola. The outcome of the match will have a major bearing on the success of both nations. Failure for Bafana could spell doom as they meet Egypt in the second matchday in group B.
Group Predictions: It is a tough group but Egypt should sail through, with Angola potentially providing some shock results. (Daily Trust)
