TotalEnergies CAF AFCON Morocco 2025: East Africa's time to rise
Special focus will be on East Africa's performance at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, as the region continues to attract attention as hosts of this year's TotalEnergies CAF African Nations Championship as well as the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2027.
The Ugandan Cranes alongside the Taifa Stars of Tanzania are the two East African representatives at this year's TotalEnergies CAF AFCON finals set to take place between 21 December 2025 – 18 January 2026.
Interestingly, both nations find themselves in a tough Group C that has them pitted against three-time champions, Nigeria as well as 2004 winners, Tunisia.
As co-hosts of two of major CAF competitions alongside Kenya, the two nations' performance in Morocco will be under huge scrutiny from not only their fans, but the continent as a whole.
The Morocco finals will be just months after their respective hosting of the TotalEnergies CAF CHAN finals, a tournament that will be key for Paul Put (Uganda Coach) and Hemed Suleiman Ali's (Tanzania Coach) charges in preparation for Morocco.
Between the two nations, Uganda has had the better showing, with the Morocco finals set to be their eighth.
The Uganda Cranes were agonisingly close to being crowned African champions in their fifth appearance back in 1978 where they were edged 2-0 in the final by Ghana in Accra.
Since then, Uganda endured a lengthy wait to their next appearance, which only came in the 2017 Gabon edition where they bowed out in the group stages, as well as the 2019 Egypt finals where they could not go past the Round of 16.
For the Tafia Stars, who's clubs Simba SC and Young Africans SC have done exceptionally well in CAF Inter-club competitions in recent years – they will be making their fourth TotalEnergies CAF AFCON appearance.
Their previous three appearances (1980, 2019, 2023) have all concluded in the group stages.
While Nigeria and Tunisia are worthy title contenders, Uganda and Tanzania carry the hopes of the East African region and will both be looking at taking the coveted TotalEnergies CAF AFCON title back to East African soil for the very first time since Ethiopia's 1962 triumph as hosts.
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