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Gabon’s national football team has arrived in Morocco to begin final preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, marking their return to the continental tournament after missing the 2023 edition.
The Panthers landed in Casablanca on Friday ahead of their Group F opener against Cameroon, scheduled for December 24. Gabon are grouped alongside Cameroon, Mozambique, and defending champions Ivory Coast in what is considered one of the tournament’s most competitive pools.
Head coach Thierry Mouyouma will likely be without his captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang for the opening fixture. Aubameyang is recovering from a thigh injury sustained during Marseille’s 1–0 league victory over Monaco last weekend, casting uncertainty over his availability for the first match.
Despite the setback, Gabon’s qualification itself represents a reset moment for the team, which failed to make the previous AFCON tournament. The current campaign signals renewed ambition as the squad looks to reassert itself on Africa’s biggest football stage.
Elsewhere, tournament activity continues to build momentum. Algeria’s national team also arrived in Rabat, one of six host cities, as pressure mounts on coach Vladimir Petkovic following Algeria’s group-stage exit at the last AFCON. The Desert Foxes will compete in Group E alongside Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, and Sudan.
AFCON 2025, hosted across multiple Moroccan cities, brings together the continent’s strongest footballing nations in a tournament that continues to serve as both competition and cultural moment for Africa.
For Gabon, the journey begins without one of its most recognisable stars, but with an opportunity to rebuild, compete, and remind the continent that African football is never static, always evolving, and driven by belief in what comes next. Africa’s story is still being written, and its future remains firmly in motion.
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