AFCON 2025 in Morocco shapes up as a wide‑open tournament where holders Ivory Coast arrive with a target on their backs and a cluster of heavyweights – Morocco, Senegal, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and Cameroon – all capable of dethroning them. The quality of squads, the depth of tactical ideas and the tournament’s expanded 24‑team format mean the question is no longer “Can anyone stop Ivory Coast?” but “Who will be brave enough to seize the moment when it comes?” Setting the stage in Morocco AFCON 2025 runs from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026, with 24 teams competing across six Moroccan cities and nine stadiums. The tournament keeps the now‑familiar structure of six groups of four, with the top two and the four best third‑placed teams reaching the round of 16, which often produces chaotic, upset‑filled knockout brackets. The hosts Morocco headline Group A with Mali, Zambia and Comoros, while Ivory Coast are drawn into a star‑studded Group F with Cameroon, Gabon and Mozambique, ensu...
Jurgen Klopp has rejected the United States' initial overture to appoint him the new manager of the men's national team.
The US has named Klopp as a top target in their search for a new manager to replace Gregg Berhalter, whose second tenure in command of the USA ended last week with a group stage exit from the Copa America on home soil.
The Independent understands that first contact was made with Klopp about replacing the 50-year-old as the US prepares for the 2026 World Cup. The United States will co-host the event with Canada and Mexico, hoping to build on their Round of 16 exit in Qatar.
However, Klopp has declined the option to engage in formal conversations with the United States Soccer Federation.
Klopp left Liverpool at the end of the Premier League season, capping a revolutionary period at Anfield. During his nine years with the Merseyside club, the German helped the team win the Premier League for the first time in 30 years, as well as the Champions League.
When his departure was confirmed, the former Borussia Dortmund manager stated that he planned to take a sabbatical from management because he had "run out of energy."
A move to international football would provide a different challenge, free of the day-to-day pressures of club coaching. However, Klopp was not attracted by the thought of assuming the helm in America.
Berhalter stepped down just a year after resuming his post as head coach of the United States men's national team.
His team battled for consistency in the lead-up to the Copa America, and group-stage losses to Uruguay and Panama consigned them to an early exit.
"I want to thank Gregg for his hard work and dedication to US Soccer and our men's national team," US Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone stated.
"We are now focused on working with our sporting director Matt Crocker and leveraging his experience at the highest levels of the sport to ensure we find the right person to lead the USMNT into a new era of on-field success."
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