The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is underway in Morocco, and the highly anticipated Group A match between Mali and Zambia has commenced. The match started at 16:00 Cairo time (GMT+2) on Monday, December 22, 2025. This marks only the second time the two nations have met in the AFCON finals, reviving a rivalry that has been relatively dormant on the continental stage for over three decades.
Mali enters the tournament with the reputation of a potential dark horse, a label they have struggled to live up to in recent years. They are making their tenth consecutive AFCON appearance and are known for their consistency and group-stage dominance. Mali also holds an impressive record of never having lost their opening game in their previous 13 AFCON campaigns.
Zambia, on the other hand, faces a challenging start to their Group A campaign. They come into the tournament on a losing streak, having suffered four consecutive defeats and nine losses in their last ten matches. Caretaker manager Moses Sichone faces a significant task in making the team competitive. Zambia's recent tournament history is also not in their favor; after their unexpected victory in the 2012 AFCON, they have struggled to qualify for the competition and have not progressed past the group stages since.
The only previous AFCON finals encounter between Mali and Zambia occurred in the 1994 semi-finals, where Zambia emerged victorious with a dominant 4-0 win. That result remains one of Zambia's biggest wins at the AFCON finals, while it is one of Mali's heaviest defeats. In their overall head-to-head record across all competitions, Zambia holds a slight edge with two wins compared to Mali's one, with three draws. Their most recent match was in a 2022 international friendly, where Mali secured a 1-0 victory.
The match is being held at the Stade Mohamed V in Casablanca. The referee for the match is Artan O. A. from Somalia.
Lineups: * Mali: Djigui Diarra, Mamadou Fofana, Abdoulaye Diaby, Amadou Dante, Nene Dorgeles, Woyo Coulibaly, Aliou Dieng, Mamadou Sangare, Lassine Sinayoko, Kamory Doumbia, El Bilal Touré. * Zambia: Willard Mwanza, Lubambo Musonda, Benson Sakala, Dominic Chanda, Mathews Banda, Willard Mwanza, Kings Kangwa, Miguel Chaiwa, Owen Tembo, Lameck Banda, Fashion Sakala, Patson Daka.
The 2025 AFCON is hosted by Morocco across nine venues in six cities. The final will be played on January 18 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. This edition marks the second time Morocco has hosted the tournament, the first being in 1988. The tournament was initially scheduled to be held in Guinea, but they were stripped of hosting rights due to inadequate preparations. The group stage will continue until December 31, and the knockout stage will begin on January 3.
The top two teams from each group, along with the four best third-placed teams, will advance to the knockout stage. The winner of the 2025 AFCON will receive a prize of $10 million.
