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AFCON 2025 Favorites: Who Will Rise to the Challenge Against Ivory Coast?

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...
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Real Sociedad's president is aware of potential offers for Arsenal and Barcelona targets.

Real Sociedad President Jokin Aperribay said that star player Mikel Merino has already received offers to leave the club. The 27-year-old has one year left on his contract and is poised to quit the club amid interest from Barcelona, Arsenal, and Atletico Madrid. Merino's contract has not been renewed, and Aperribay confessed that this was a clear indication that he wanted to leave this summer. The Spain international's stock rose at Euro 2024, and Arsenal reconnected with his agency this week.

"I believe Mikel has been quite truthful with Real. He has received a renewal offer for a year, and if he has not renewed it, it is because he does not want to convince the Real fans that he is staying and then leaving, which I believe speaks good of him," Aperribay told the press, including Sport.

However, it appears that he is not yet interested in a move to Atletico Madrid, who attempted to sign him but Merino rejected their offer. However, if Real Sociedad is asked to negotiate with any party, they will do so. "I would like him not to leave; we all do, but if he tells us he accepts any of the offers on the table and wants us to negotiate, we will. We know he has them, and we know the specifics. However, we remain hopeful that Mikel Merino will remain at Real," Aperribay stated.

Merino has been linked with a move to the Premier League, but Football España claimed last week that the Basque midfielder will consider all options before making a final choice. How long he is willing to wait for Barcelona to make an offer could be the deciding factor, since they are currently concentrating on signing a star forward first.

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