Arsenal Legend Emmanuel Petit Snubs Nigeria as He Names Two Favourites to Win AFCON 2025
- Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has named two countries he sees as favourites to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations
- Petit snubbed the Super Eagles of Nigeria among the countries he believes could win the tournament in Morocco
- The 35th edition of Africa's biggest international tournament kicks off in 17 days across multiple cities in Morocco
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Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit has named the two countries he sees as favourites to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations 17 days ahead of the tournament.
Morocco will host Africa for the 35th edition of the AFCON from December 21, 2025, to January 18, 2026, as countries battle for the continent's pride.
Source: Getty Images
Cote d'Ivoire is the defending champion after defeating the Super Eagles of Nigeria 2-1 in the final of the 2023 edition, thanks to goals from Franck Kessie and Sebastian Haller.
Emmanuel Petit picks AFCON favourites
Former Arsenal star Emmanuel Petit has named the two countries he thinks are the favourites to win AFCON as the tournament draws closer.
He named Morocco as the outright favourite because of the quality of their squad, which includes the reigning African Footballer of the Year, Achraf Hakimi.
“Who are my favourites to win the Africa Cup of Nations? I would have to say Morocco because of the players they have, and they are playing at home,” Petit told Snabbare, as quoted by IOL.
“The African Player of the Year was Achraf Hakimi. The whole competition would be in Morocco. We all know the money and the expectation from the King of Morocco.”
The Atlas Lions have been one of the best teams on the continent for more than five years and shook the world after becoming the first African country to reach the World Cup semi-final in 2022.
Hakimi is a doubt for the tournament after picking up a serious ankle injury following a reckless challenge during PSG’s Champions League loss to Bayern Munich.
Petit acknowledges South Africa, led by Hugo Broos, as the dark horse and wouldn't be surprised if Bafana Bafana go all the way and win the tournament.
Source: Getty Images
“That being said, you can't rule out South Africa either after qualifying for the World Cup. Bafana Bafana are underdogs to go all the way at the Africa Cup of Nations,” he added.
According to CAF, Hugo Broos was the first manager to announce his preliminary squad and his final squad, showcasing his readiness to attack the tournament.
Broos led the 1996 champions to third place in Côte d'Ivoire in 2023, beating Morocco on the way. The Belgian recently led the team to the first World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Aliou Cisse named AFCON favourites
Legit.ng previously reported that Aliou Cisse named five countries which are favourites to win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, including Nigeria.
Cisse coached Senegal to the title in 2021 and is now in charge of the Libyan national team, taking over the team after they failed to qualify for AFCON.
Source: Legit.ng
