Mansion Sports – The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations officially begins, and the opening match of Group F immediately presents a major challenge for defending champions Ivory Coast.

Facing Mozambique, The Elephants will be eager to start their campaign with a positive result to maintain their hopes of retaining the title. 

On the other hand, Mozambique arrive without pressure and with the ambition of stealing points from the favorites.

Defending champions Ivory Coast begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign with a Group F clash against Mozambique, as The Elephants look to start their title defense strongly in Morocco.

The match is scheduled to take place at the Grand Stadium of Marrakech on Wednesday, 23 December 2025, at 18:30 local time.

Both teams begin their journeys in the tournament through this match, with an opportunity to build momentum in a group that also includes Cameroon and Gabon, where a strong opening result is expected to provide a foundation for progression to the knockout phase.

Before the match kicks off, let us take a look at Mansion Sports’ prediction for the Ivory Coast vs Mozambique lineups December 2025 below.

Team Conditions Ahead of the Match

Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast arrive at this tournament carrying high expectations after winning the previous edition of the Africa Cup of Nations on home soil, where they defeated Nigeria 2–1 in the final to claim their third continental title.

That success further reinforced their status as one of Africa’s traditional powerhouses and saw The Elephants return with ambitions of becoming the first defending champions since Egypt in 2010.

Ivory Coast’s preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations have been convincing. Emerse Faé’s side recorded four wins, one draw, and one defeat in their last six competitive matches before the tournament, scoring 13 goals and conceding just once. 

Their preparations concluded with a 2–0 victory over Oman in an international friendly, following a narrow 0–1 loss to Saudi Arabia.

In World Cup qualification, The Elephants were dominant, recording emphatic 9–0 and 7–0 victories over Seychelles home and away, a 3–0 win over Kenya, a goalless draw away to Gabon, and a 1–0 victory over Burundi. They completed the qualification campaign with a total of 25 goals scored and none conceded.

Ivory Coast’s path to qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations was also solid, as they finished second in their qualifying group behind Zambia.

Consistency across competitive matches has provided strong confidence ahead of the group stage opener, although they must cope with the absence of leading striker Sebastien Haller, who was ruled out through injury shortly before the tournament.

The recall of experienced players such as Wilfried Zaha and the central role of midfielder Franck Kessie have helped maintain balance within the squad.

However, Sunderland winger Simon Adingra, who played a prominent role in the 2023 title-winning campaign, was surprisingly omitted from the squad.

Historically, Ivory Coast clearly hold the advantage over Mozambique. From seven meetings across all competitions, The Elephants have never lost, recording five wins and two draws, scoring 13 goals and conceding only two.

Their most recent encounters came during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, when Ivory Coast drew goalless in Maputo before securing a 3–0 victory at home.

Mozambique

Mozambique arrive at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a mission to challenge history and exceed expectations as they open the tournament against the defending champions.

They qualified for the finals after finishing second in their qualifying group behind Mali, securing consecutive Africa Cup of Nations appearances and continuing an upward trend at continental level.

In their last six competitive matches, the Mambas recorded two wins, one draw, and three defeats, scoring seven goals and conceding nine.

That record includes a defeat to Morocco in a friendly last November, before a 2–2 draw against Chad.

In World Cup qualification, Mozambique claimed a narrow 1–0 victory over Somalia and a 2–0 win against Botswana, but also suffered defeats to Guinea and Uganda, highlighting ongoing vulnerabilities against stronger opposition.

Chiquinho Conde’s side have never progressed beyond the group stage in the history of their Africa Cup of Nations participation, despite having reached the finals five times.

Mozambique’s qualification for the 2025 edition reflects continuity rather than surprise, with the primary challenge now being to translate qualification into competitive results on the biggest stage.

Mozambique have included 42-year-old winger Dominguez in their Africa Cup of Nations squad this month.

If selected, he would become the second-oldest player to feature in the finals, after Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary, who played at the age of 44 years and 21 days at the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

The Mozambique squad combines experience with youth. Veteran defender Mexer leads the back line alongside Reinildo, while attacking players such as Geny Catamo are expected to provide energy and creativity.

Ivory Coast vs Mozambique Predicted Lineups – December 2025

Ivory Coast (4-3-3)

The Elephants will begin their title defense without one of their most influential players from the 2023 tournament.

Sebastien Haller has been ruled out due to a hamstring injury sustained while playing for FC Utrecht, and his place in the squad has been taken by Aston Villa forward Evann Guessand.

The squad also marks the return of midfielder Jean-Michael Seri, who has recovered from a long-term injury and brings added experience and leadership to Ivory Coast’s midfield.

Meanwhile, winger Adingra, a key figure in the 2023 success, was excluded from the final squad due to limited playing time and fitness issues this season. Former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe was also not selected for off-field reasons.

Mozambique (5-2-3)

Mozambique must face the tournament without influential midfielder Pepo, who has been ruled out for the entire competition due to a serious knee injury sustained ahead of the squad announcement.

The Mambas also travel without experienced winger Clesio Bauque after the coaching staff decided to exclude him for technical reasons during the final selection process.

At the back, Conde will rely on experienced players such as Mexer, Reinildo, Bruno Langa, and Edmilson Dove, who provide stability and international experience.

The midfield combines experience and creativity through Guima, Alfons Amade, and Dominguez.

In attack, Sporting Lisbon forward Geny Catamo is the primary source of goal threat for Mozambique, supported by Gildo Vilanculos, Stanley Ratifo, Witi, and Faizal Bangal, who are expected to provide pace and finishing throughout the group stage.

With the difference in experience and quality on paper, Ivory Coast are clearly favored in this match.

However, Mozambique arrive with a challenging spirit and without pressure, which could potentially produce a surprise.

This encounter serves as a crucial opener for both teams in determining the direction of their campaigns at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.