2025 AFCON Team of the Tournament
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco delivered a spectacular showcase of continental football as every nation brought immense pride and passion to the pitch in the quest for glory in Africa’s biggest competition.
From Morocco’s win in the curtain raiser to Senegal’s triumph in the drawer, the players at the 2025 AFCON displayed incredible skill and resilience. Their collective efforts across the month created unforgettable memories, proving why African football remains so captivating.
In the wake of its conclusion, we reveal our 2025 Team of the Tournament, selecting only the most standout players in their positions — stars from champions Senegal, host Morocco, and of course, the best entertainers, Nigeria, dominate our selection.
2025 AFCON Team of the Tournament
GK: Edouard Mendy of Senegal
Despite keeping five clean sheets in seven games, which is the joint most, the veteran goalkeeper made 15 saves, including from the penalty spot to deny Brahim Diaz in the final, helping his country force extra time, where they ultimately won it.
Edouard Mendy had an outstanding outing and will forever be remembered as the star of the AFCON 2025 final, as his heroics in such a difficult circumstance led to a wonderful achievement for the Teranga Lions.
He has the best save rate and prevented more goals than any other goalkeeper, which puts him ahead of Morocco’s Yassine Bounou and Stanley Nwabali of Nigeria, both of whom had impressive outings as well.
LB: Noussair Mazraoui of Morocco
Noussair Mazraoui was the most consistent member of the Morocco defence, which has the best record at the tournament, conceding just two goals, one of which was a penalty, and 12 shots on target.
Not a single bad game for the Manchester United man, who was strong in duels, recoveries, tackles, and interceptions, ensuring goalkeeper Yassine Bounou had a stress-free outing.
He assisted one goal from six created chances to finish ahead of other impressive left-backs, especially Bruno Onyemachi of Nigeria, who came on for the Super Eagles’ second game against Tunisia, and made the spot his own.
LCB: Calvin Bassey of Nigeria
Unarguably the best center back in the tournament, Calvin Bassey was sensational, especially in the knockout stage, where the Super Eagles were the only team not conceding a single goal.
He excelled at ball player and duels, restricting every strong team. One of his best highlights came in the semi-finals with Morocco, where they were dominated, but alongside his teammates, ensured to lock down the Atlas Lions’ attack.
In a team that dominated possession and produced superior attacking numbers, Bassey was vital in stopping transitions, and even though he was suspended for the third-place match for a controversial booking, he already earned his place on the team of the tournament.
RCB: Rami Rabia of Egypt
Representing Egypt in the team, Rami Rabia started slow Morocco, but grew into an important player for the Pharaohs, and finished as one of the best defenders.
He scored an important goal in the quarter-finals against the Ivory Coast, while also helping to contain a sharp attack of the Elephants to ensure Egypt’s progression into the final four, even though their opponent was much better.
RB: Krepin Diatta of Senegal
The 26-year-old could easily be Senegal’s best player of the tournament, and his absence was keenly felt in the final, and it forced the champions to focus more of their attack on the right, as Antoine Mendy couldn’t deliver similar intensity.
Krepin Diatta was consistent throughout the tournament. His best highlight was against Mali in the quarter-finals, a game Senegal won by one goal and needed to contain their opponents in their own half, especially after the red card to Yves Bissouma.
Diatta helped in keeping attackers at bay and provided support for his teammates going forward. Despite being a defender, he was a standout star, and only a few players matched his commitment during the tournament.
He earned his place at right-back in the AFCON team of the tournament ahead of Nigeria’s Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Achraf Hakimi of Morocco, the latter who missed a significant part of the group stage games.
DM: Idrissa Gana Gueye of Senegal
Despite being the vice captain, the midfielder wore the armband for more minutes than the actual captain Kalidou Koulibaly, who struggled with form, suspension, and fitness throughout the tournament.
Idrissa Gueye oozed class and was one of the reasons Senegal was impenetrable. His tackling, duel-winning, and positioning made it difficult for the opposition to dominate Teranga Lions, while he was also a gem with the ball.
No player made more line-breaking passes than the Everton midfielder, and it was he, who assisted Senegal’s first-ever AFCON final goal, with which they won their second tournament title.
He, without a question, makes the AFCON team of the tournament, beating the likes of Wilfred Ndidi and Mamadou Sangare of Nigeria and Mali respectively.
CM: Pape Gueye of Senegal
Pape Gueye produced a class in two decisive games to help Senegal to the title in Morocco, including scoring their first-ever goal in an AFCON final match.
The Villarreal man came to life in the round of 16, when Teranga Lions trailed to Sudan and was in danger of suffering back-to-back exit that that stage of the tournament, having done so two years ago to Ivory Coast in Ivory Coast.
Gueye scored to level matters and then scored again to complete the comeback. His goal in the final was also well timed and impactful. His decisive moments saw him nick this much-contested position in the AFCON team of the tournament.
Nigeria’s Alex Iwobi is a close contender, but the player, whose country finished third ultimately came second to the tournament winner himself. Morocco’s Ismael Sabairi also deserves a mention.
AM: Ademola Lookman
In a star-studded Nigeria attack, Ademola Lookman’s creativity helped his teammates flourish, and that not only made him a standout as a creative force but also the best player at the tournament altogether.
Despite starting just five games, the Atalanta forward was directly involved in seven goals, at least two more than any other player, finishing the tournament with four assists, the most by a player since Didier Drogba in 2008.
Lookman created the joint most big chances, five, and no player with 10+ chances creation averaged more than his 2.6 per 90 minutes, level with Sadio Mané. His expected assists of 2.9 are by far superior to any player, with Bryan Mbeumo’s 1.4 coming second.
Ademola Lookman has now been directly involved in 12 AFCON goals since his debut just over two years ago in the Ivory Coast, the most of any player in that period. Could have easily been crowned the best player had Nigeria reached the final, but there’s no denying him a place in the Team of the tournament.
LW: Sadio Mané of Senegal
Crowned as the best player of the tournament, Sadio Mané did not just win the trophy, he won the hearts of people and earned the respect of all due to his sportsmanship in the final, when his teammates and coaches opted to abandon the game.
He scored twice and assisted three goals, with his first goal helping the team avoid a defeat against DR Congo, while the other was the lone strike that helped them dump out record winners Egypt in the semi-finals.
Mané now has 20 goal involvements in 30 AFCON starts, the most of any player since he made his debut in the tournament at the 2015 edition, where he played just twice and didn’t even register a goal contribution.
He comes into the AFCON team of the tournament as the left-winger, beating a couple of names, who are not really close to his level over the course of the tournament in Morocco.
ST: Victor Osimhen of Nigeria
Personally, it was a much better outing for the 2023 CAF Men’s Player of the Year, who has struggled for goal involvement in his previous African Cup of Nations participations, but emerged as our best striker in Morocco.
Only teammate Ademola Lookman had a hand in more goals than Victor Osimhen’s six, as the Galatasaray striker scored four goals to finish one behind top scorer Brahim Diaz, and added two further assists.
Victor Osimhen’s three knockout stage goals were the most by any player during the Morocco 2025 AFCON, but he missed the chance to compete for the top scorer award as he was forced to sit out of the third-place match against Egypt due to injury.
His energetic play was crucial for the Super Eagles on their journey to setting a new country record of 14 goals in a single AFCON tournament, and he’ll hope that things get better from here, as he closes in on the all-time top scorer record for Nigeria.
He ranks ahead of Lassine Sinayoko, who was a force for Mali before their quarter-final elimination, while Morocco’s Ayoub El Kaabi was also worth a mention, but not enough to displace the Galatasaray striker, Osimhen.
RW: Brahim Diaz of Morocco
An unfortunate way to end a tournament that could have seen him win it all. That penalty miss in the final, and the fact that it was a Panenka, easily saved and led to his country missing out on the trophy will forever change Brahim Diaz, he has the mental strength to make a positive comeback.
Brahim Diaz set a record as the first Moroccan to score in five consecutive AFCON games before failing to score in the semi-final and final, where none of his teammates were able to beat opposition goalkeepers during play.
He was one of the most eye-catching players, bringing joy to the faces of the home fans before his disastrous final performance. Diaz finished as the competition’s top scorer with five goals and was presented with the award during the final ceremony.
He beat the likes of Mohamed Salah and Riyad Mahrez to his spot in the team, and given the impact these players had for their respective nations, it is clear that the Real Madrid man not only edged it, but was clearly the favorite.
Kehinde-Hassan Afolabi
