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...
Ronald Koeman and Virgil van Dijk criticize officials following England's disputed penalty against the Netherlands.
Kane won and converted a first-half penalty to help England win a tense semi-final battle.
Ronald Koeman slammed the decision to award England a penalty as his Netherlands team suffered a bitter 2-1 defeat in the Euro 2024 semi-finals.
Harry Kane was brought down in the area by Denzel Dumfries after firing a shot over the bar, and the referee initially ignored England's penalty demands.
However, Felix Zwayer was asked to check the pitchside monitor following a VAR review, and he inevitably awarded the penalties, which Kane hammered into the bottom corner.
That brought England level in Dortmund in the first half, after Xavi Simons' stunning opening had given the Dutch an early lead, leaving Koeman extremely upset.
However, Felix Zwayer was asked to check the pitchside monitor following a VAR review, and he inevitably awarded the penalties, which Kane hammered into the bottom corner.
That brought England level in Dortmund in the first half, after Xavi Simons' stunning opening had given the Dutch an early lead, leaving Koeman extremely upset.
"What do you do as a defender?" Koeman stated during his post-match press conference.
An increasingly cagey semi-final appeared to be heading for extra time until replacement Ollie Watkins took Cole Palmer's approach in stride and hammered a fantastic low strike into the bottom corner. That 90th-minute winner gave England a 2-1 victory and advanced them to the final against Spain.
The Three Lions have a chance to win their first major trophy in 58 years, while the Netherlands' 36-year search for one of football's top awards continues.
Virgil van Dijk, who was punished in the second half for dissent when the referee refused to grant the Netherlands a corner, also criticised Zwayer, implying that the official did not want to face the players after the game.
"The referee ran back inside straight after the full-time whistle, that says a lot," Van Dijk told ESPN.
"I didn't have time to shake his hand. But it is what it is; the game is over, we lost, and there were apparent moments that should have gone our way, but they did not, regardless of the outcome."
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