Football is starting to wrap up around most of Europe’s major leagues ahead of a well-earned break – Premier League aside – but there’s still lots happening over the festive period, as the carnival of football, AFCON, kicks off on Sunday 21 December.
The tournament heads to Morocco for the first time since 1988, and it looks set to be one of the most competitive yet. Opta’s supercomputer has nine nations with a 10% or better chance of making the final, to give you an idea of how close the running is for 2025.
As with any major tournament, we’ve scoured the early AFCON betting markets to see where the value lies before kick-off on Sunday. Without further ado, let’s jump in.
Best Pre-Tournament AFCON Predictions and Tips
| Market | Result | Odds | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|---|
| AFCON Winner | Morocco | 5/2 | bet365 |
| Top Goalscorer | Brahim Diaz | 33/1 | Betfred |
| To Win Group C | Tunisia | 7/4 | Willaim Hill |
*Odds correct at 16:00 GMT on 17/12/2025. Odds subject to change.
Bet 1: AFCON 2025 Winner – Morocco 5/2
All roads lead to Morocco this year. Literally. The Atlas Lions are on an 18-game winning run, which is a record in international football, surpassing Spain’s 15-game streak from 2009. In that period, they’ve scored 50 and conceded just four. Mind-blowing.
The run completed a 100% record in the World Cup qualifying campaign, becoming the first African nation to do so.
Walid Regragui has one of the most talented squads at his disposal, and let's not forget that this team reached the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Having the option of game changers like PSG’s Achraf Hakimi – 2025 African Player of the Year – and Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, for us, gives them a significant edge.
Odds of 5/2 look a tad short, truth be told. The public will no doubt be looking to get on the host, who generally go well, and at their record-breaking form, which has no doubt been the reason why the markets are where they are.
With a favourable group and road to the final, we’re happy enough to get on at 5/2. So, for the first of our AFCON best bets, it’s Morocco to win.
Bet 2: Top Goalscorer – Brahim Diaz (Morocco) 33/1
Anytime you’re betting on top goalscorer markets, you’re looking for players part of teams that will go deep. Given that we’re backing Morocco to do just that, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to see us back their star boy Brahim Diaz for the AFCON Golden Boot.
What’s always interesting about this market, especially with AFCON, is that it gets front-loaded with the star names. You know the ones: Victor Osimhen, Mohammed Salah, Bryan Mbeumo, Sadio Mane, Omar Marmoush, etc.
Sure, there’s merit to backing any of these as they’re all world-class. But 33/1 for the AFCON qualifiers top scorer looks a huge price. Heck, monumental price, even.
No Expiry Date
To give this context, it’s only Betfred offering such insane odds. The likes of bet365 and BetMGM are as short as 14/1. So if you’re getting on, do it quickly, because this price won’t stick around.
If you need a little more convincing, the Real Madrid man scored seven in four games across qualifying. He’s the focal point in attack for a team that have scored 50 goals in their last 18 and should be on penalties as well. Lots of boxes ticked.
Bet 3: Tunisia to Win Group C – 7/4
We were incredibly close to picking Tunisia to win AFCON at 16/1. The Eagles look like a huge price to secure their first title since 2004 and have been on great form in the World Cup qualifiers, winning nine and drawing one from 10 games.
But instead, we’ve been drawn into them winning a tricky Group C that includes Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda at 7/4.
It’s as close to a group of death that we have this year, and it’s always interesting to see how the bookies price up these types of groups. Are Nigeria that much better than Tunisia that they should go off at 5/6?
We don’t think so. And that’s been one of the driving factors behind us backing the Eagles to top Group C.
What we like most about Sami Trabelsi’s side is how good they are at the back. In fact, they haven’t conceded a single goal in qualifying, and it’s these sorts of metrics that really stick out when backing teams to win groups.
They may need to beat Nigeria to get the top spot, but we’re happy to take this risk to get generous-looking odds of 7/4.
