The 2025 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations is at the quarter final stages with four ties difficult to call.
Hosts Morocco face five-time champions Cameroon, Mali and Senegal clash in a West African derby, Nigeria and Algeria lock horns while holders Ivory Coast face record winners Egypt.
Ahead of the crunch matches that start on Friday, here is what Ismael Kiyonga picks out as talking points at this stage.
No flukes, no upsets
In the past, we have seen upsets and probably flukes where smaller nations upset the big ones.
This isn’t the case in Morocco as all the top seeds as per rankings before the Afcon draw are in the quarter finals.
Afcon 2025 has been about levels in quality with fine margins giving the bigger nations edge in all contests.
In history, it is the first time that seven of the eight teams in the quarter finals are former winners save for one, Mali who eliminated 2004 winners Tunisia in a dramatic fashion in the round of 16.
Big players shine
There is a saying in football that ‘big games are for big players.’ It doesn’t come truer than the happenings in Morocco.
African big players have always been accused of giving everything for their European clubs and not their respective national teams but it is a different case here.
From Ademola Lookman and Victor Osimhen (Nigeria), Brahim Diaz and Achraf Hakimi (Morocco), Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba (Cameroon), Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast), Riyad Mahrez, Ryan Ait-Nouri (Algeria), Yves Bissouma (Mali), Hannibal Mejbri (Tunisia), Mohamed Salah, Omar Marmoush (Egypt) to Sadio Mane, Idrissa Gueye and Ismail Sarr (Senegal), they have put their bodies on the line for the pride of their nations.
Close race for MVP
I don’t think there has ever been a close contest for the Most Valuable Player at Afcon than in Morocco 2025.
At this stage, Brahim Diaz, Amad Diallo and Ademola Lookman could be leading the contest but given their numbers and contribution, it is a close call.
Besides, Osimhen, Salah and Ibrahim Mazza have also done well so far.
African coaches impact
Besides Algeria’s Vladamir Petkovic and Tom Saintfiet of Mali, all coaches in the quarter finals are Africans.
That says a lot about the ‘local coaches’ and their urge to be trusted with duties as foreigners.
In fact, since 2017 when Hugo Broos won the title with Cameroon, no foreigner has won it and the trend could continue in Morocco come January 18.
Djamel Belmadi (Algeria 2019), Aliou Cisse (Senegal 2021) and Emerse Fae (Ivory Coast 2023) have all won it for their respective nations.
Holders break jinx
Since 2010, no defending champions has played in the quarter final of the competition with Egypt being the last nation to do so as they tried to go for a fourth title in succession.
The Elephants of Ivory Coast have broken the jinx. Can they go on and defend it? The jury is still out on them.