As the 35th edition of Afcon kicks off in Morocco on December 21, with the help of their talisman Salah, Egypt will be expected to top Group B, where their nearest rivals could be South Africa, a team the Pharaohs have beaten twice in three previous meetings at Afcon finals.

GOAL brings you everything you need to know to secure your seat at the AFCON in Morocco this December. Including ticket prices, teams and more.

The 2027 edition of the tournament will take place during the summer to avoid this issue, but with the Club World Cup in 2029, AFCON will again be in the winter due to fitting it within a constrained global soccer calendar.

Nigeria defender Chidozie Awaziem describes the 2-1 friendly loss to Egypt as a valuable AFCON rehearsal, providing a test for new players and tactics.

Raafat Attia etched his name into the history books by scoring the first-ever goal in AFCON history on February 10, 1957. Converting a 21st-minute penalty against hosts Sudan in Khartoum, the Egyptian forward provided the spark for a tournament that would grow to define a continent.

Egypt and Nigeria make their final AFCON preparations when they face one another in a pre-tournament friendly in Cairo.

In fact there are 11 Premier League clubs who have had more players called up to this year’s mid-season AFCON. Bertrand Traore (Burkina Faso), Arthur Masuaku, Noah Sadiki (DR Congo), Reinildo (Mozambique), Chemsdine Talbi (Morocco), Habib Diarra (Senegal)

A talismanic figure for Egypt for well over a decade, Mohamed Salah will be determined to put speculation surrounding his Liverpool future to one side and lead his nation to glory at the upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco.