Morocco welcomes 2026 as AFCON enters knockout stage [Football Now]

Morocco welcomed the New Year with celebrations across the country. Streets and public squares came alive with music, lights, and crowds gathering as 2025 drew to a close.

The festive atmosphere mirrored the excitement of AFCON, with fans ready for the knockout stage to kick off.

As 2025 ended, the curtains came down on the Group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations. In Group E, Algeria, Burkina Faso and Sudan advanced to the Round of 16.

Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Mozambique made the knockout stage from Group F. The defending champions recovered from a two-goal deficit to beat Gabon 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Both Ivory Coast and Cameroon finished with seven points each, with a goal difference of plus 2, but Ivory Coast scored five goals, compared to Cameroon’s four.

Mozambique progressed as one of the four best third-place finishers.

Senegal vs. Sudan gets the Round of 16 underway on Saturday January, 3.

Mali vs. Tunisia and South Africa against Cameroon on Sunday stand out as some of the most exciting knockout stage fixtures.