Côte d’Ivoire-Mozambique : Defending Champions Take Off Today

Football fans across Africa will tune in tonight as the defending champions, Côte d’Ivoire, kick off their 2025 TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations title defense against Mozambique in Group F. The game at the Marrakech Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m. local time today, December 24, 2025.
The Elephants, who hosted and triumphed at the 2023 AFCON, enter as heavy favourites despite missing stars like Simon Adingra and Sébastien Haller; key contributors to their last victory. Simon Adingra and Nicolas Pépé were left out of the squad, while Sébastien Haller was ruled out due to injury. His replacement, Evann Guessand, who plays for Aston Villa, joined the group in the early hours of December 22, 2025. Coach Emerse Fae's squad is training serenely, brimming with motivation to honourably retain the crown. Yet Mozambique arrives with fire in their bellies, not just to participate but to compete fiercely and potentially emerge as Group F's surprise package.
This marks the third AFCON finals meeting between the sides, with Côte d’Ivoire holding a perfect record. Their first clash at the 1986 tournament in Egypt saw the Ivorians cruise to a 3-0 win. A decade later in 1996, the Ivorians sealed a 1-0 victory.
Across seven encounters overall, Côte d’Ivoire boasts five wins and two draws, never tasting defeat against...