Top 8 players to watch at AFCON 2025

The 35th edition of the prestigious Africa Cup of Nations is being hosted by Morocco and will be held from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026. The 24 participating teams have been divided into six groups, from which 16 will move to the knockouts. The last edition of AFCON was held in 2023, where hosts Ivory Coast defeated Nigeria 2–1 in the final to lift their third continental title.

With the best players from the African continent participating in this tournament, there will be no dearth of quality football, exciting battles, and edge-of-the-seat thrillers. Experienced top players as well as young talent will want to leave their mark and deliver for their country in a big tournament before next year’s World Cup.

Hence, we present our pick of eight players to watch out for at the 2025 AFCON.

8. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Gabon

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has reinvented himself at Olympique de Marseille since his return to the club earlier in the summer. Having a host of top European sides like Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, and Barcelona in his resume, Aubameyang is still going strong at 36 years of age and has been in sensational form this season, having scored five goals and provided five assists in 14 league games for Marseille.

Aubameyang made his senior debut for Gabon back in 2009 and has gone on to score 39 goals in 84 appearances for his country. He had announced international retirement in 2022 but decided to return to the national team a year later. He’ll be leading the Panthères out at AFCON 2025 as captain.

Even in the twilight of his career, Aubameyang still possesses the finishing ability that saw him break through at Saint-Étienne in the French Ligue 1 in 2012. Given the form he’s currently in, Aubameyang will be one of the forwards to watch at AFCON. He could also be instrumental to his side’s progression to the 2026 World Cup at the inter-confederation play-offs in March next year.

7. Ibrahim Maza | Algeria

Ibrahim Maza is a 20-year-old Algerian forward who plays for Bayer Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga. Maza joined Leverkusen ahead of the 2025/26 season from Hertha Berlin. 

Having been born in Germany, Maza represented the country until the U20 level before switching allegiance to Algeria. At club level, he has impressed for Leverkusen this season and has four goals and three assists in 21 appearances so far across all competitions. 

Though he has only made eight appearances for the Algerian senior national team, Maza is surely going to be one of the most exciting young talents to watch at this AFCON as well as the World Cup next year.

6. Ousmane Diomande | Côte d’Ivoire

Young centre-back Ousmane Diomande could be a huge presence in the Côte d’Ivoire backline. 

Partnering Portuguese defender Gonçalo Inácio in the Sporting backline, the 22-year-old is a big reason why the Leões have been solid and difficult to break down, having conceded only seven goals in 14 league games this season. Though Diomande was part of the Ivory Coast squad that won the last AFCON, he made only two group stage appearances for the Éléphants. 

Ivory Coast also have a host of top players in their squad in Amad Diallo, Sébastien Haller, Yan Diomande, Evann Guessand, Emmanuel Agbadou, and Evan Ndicka. The abundance of defensive talent in the side has made it difficult for Ousmane Diomande to get many caps.

But that will change. The quality he possesses not just in defending but also building from the back with his vision and passing makes Diomande a potential difference-maker for Côte d’Ivoire as they go about defending their continental crown.

5. Victor Osimhen | Nigeria

There was a lot of noise this summer about Victor Osimhen’s impending move away from Napoli, but the Nigerian star decided to extend his stay in Türkiye by signing for Galatasaray permanently.

Osimhen has been a prolific scorer for club and country for several years now. He was the top scorer when Nigeria won the U17 World Cup in 2015. In the 2023 AFCON, he became the second-highest scorer for Nigeria as they finished runners-up to Côte d’Ivoire.

Since making his senior team debut in 2017, Osimhen has scored 31 goals in 45 appearances for Nigeria. Currently in a rich vein of form, the star Süper Lig striker could well help the Super Eagles go all the way this time around.

4. Iliman Ndiaye | Senegal

Iliman Ndiaye has been one of the most exciting players to watch in the Premier League ever since returning to English football after a stint in Marseille. Even though his team, Everton, have been inconsistent over the past two seasons, Ndiaye has been highly influential in their midfield.

The 25-year-old had a decent season in 2024/25, registering nine goals in 33 appearances. He has hit the ground running this season as well, with four goals and two assists in 16 games.

A Senegal international, Ndiaye made his senior debut for them in 2022. Since then, he has mostly made appearances off the bench, having registered three goals in 32 appearances. He is part of a star-studded Senegal squad, which boasts the likes of Sadio Mané, Ismaïla Sarr, Lamine Camara, Habib Diarra, Nicolas Jackson, and Pape Matar Sarr.

However, considering his recent form and overall talent, Ndiaye could be set for more time on the pitch for the Lions of Teranga.

3. Bryan Mbeumo | Cameroon

Manchester United forward Bryan Mbeumo will be another player to watch at this AFCON as he takes the field for Cameroon.

Mbeumo was one of the standout players in the Premier League for the past two seasons, which led to his inevitable move away from Brentford as Man United came calling. He had a particularly superb 2024/25 campaign, where he produced 27 goal contributions in 38 league appearances for the Bees.

Mbeumo represented France up to the U21 level before making the switch to Cameroon ahead of the 2022 World Cup. While he hasn’t quite made a mark for his national team yet, it will be interesting to see how he performs in Cameroonian colours on the back of sustained brilliance in the Premier League.

2. Achraf Hakimi | Morocco

Captaining the hosts, Achraf Hakimi is currently one of the best right-backs in world football.

Having contributed to Paris Saint-Germain’s unprecedented continental treble triumph last season, Hakimi had a trophy-laden outing. He also finished sixth in the prestigious Ballon d’Or rankings in 2025 and was included in the 2025 FIFA Team of the Year.

The 27-year-old was also a key part of the Morocco squad that reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, becoming the first African nation to achieve the feat.

Being the host nation, Morocco will want to leverage their home advantage and quality squad to go all the way. However, they will need their captain to lead them from the front and add another continental title to his already burgeoning collection.

1. Mohamed Salah | Egypt

Mohamed Salah has been Egypt’s shining light ever since he helped them qualify for the 2018 World Cup, thus taking them back to world football’s biggest stage after 28 long years. He was influential in taking Egypt to an AFCON final in 2022 and helping the Pharaohs secure another World Cup qualification for the upcoming showpiece event in 2026.

At club level, Salah’s preferred position is on the right wing. For Egypt, though, he plays centrally and is the driving force of the attack. In the Premier League, the veteran forward had an all-timer campaign last time out, leading Liverpool to their 20th league title. While he has been struggling since the start of this season, his form for country has not taken much of a hit, having contributed nine goals and three assists in the qualifiers to secure a World Cup berth for Egypt.

Salah has been one of the standout players for club and country over the years, breaking several records along the way. However, he hasn’t won major silverware with Egypt, and AFCON is one tournament he would be desperate to win with his national side.