Top 10 Best AFCON Players; Where does Salah, Hakimi RANK

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is just a few sleeps away and the fans are going frenzy over the highly anticipated football event. The coveted tournament will kick off with the host country Morocco, taking on Comoros on Sunday night. And this will be the platform where the best AFCON players are set to dance around for almost four weeks.
From the Egyptian king Mohamed Salah to Morocco's Champions League winner Achraf Hakimi, the biggest names from across the continent will represent their respective nations, with one ambition - the prestigious silverware. With the forms some of the players are in with their clubs in major leagues, one can only expect a tournament full of heroic moments and unforgettable events. Ahead of the multi-national tournament kicking off, we at Sportsdunia have compiled the list of 10 players to watch in AFCON 2025.

Players to Watch Out For in AFCON 2025

The African continent has never disappointed the football world when it has organised a tournament for its nations. From proven superstars like Salah, Hakimi, and Victor Osimhen to emerging young guns like Carlos Baleba, who will be out there to make a mark, this edition of the competition promises thrilling moments. Here is the detailed analysis of the expected best AFCON players in 2025.

10. Mohammed Kudus (Ghana)

Mohammed Kudus is one of the few players who will be under the limelight in the Africa Cup of Nations when he takes to the field for Ghana. The attacking midfielder has played hide-and-seek with his fate in the 2025-26 Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur. He has not been at his very best on every occasion this year.
For Spurs, he has played 20 games across all competitions, including the UEFA Champions League, and has delivered three goals and given assists so far. A lot will depend on him if Ghana are to progress higher up. Kudus will definitely look to be the AFCON best player 2025.

9. Amad Diallo (Ivory Coast)

Another young attacking gun who is expected to light up the AFCON tournament in Morocco is Manchester United's wonderkid Amad Diallo. The young winger has amazed the fans everytime he has got game time under Ruben Amorim this season. In the English top flight alone, he has racked up two goals and as many assists in 15 appearances.
The number may not look promising but what he brings with him is more important. Amad Diallo is as good in attack as he is in defense. If nothing goes wrong, Diallo will definitely entertain everyone with his quick feet and stylish dribbling and will return to club football as one of the best AFCON players.

8. Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)

Riyad Mahrez, the man who can change the fate of a game with one touch, will be the main man for Algeria in this AFCON once again. He propelled the Green to their second CAF silverware in 2019, having dropped a masterclass throughout the tournament. And six years later, his nation will once again bet big on him despite his departure from European shores for a new challenge in Saudi Arabia.
The former Man City star Mahrez has always been a player to watch when he has the ball. With one single move or pass, he can change the momentum of any game in the blink of an eye. He will be out there for blood and to prove himself worthy of top-level football. His performance for Al-Ahli also highlights his ambition to be the AFCON best player 2025.

7. Bryan Mbeumo (Cameroon)

One of the latest Manchester United's signings Bryan Mbeumo will try to find some scoring luck in the CAF Africa Cup of Nations as he has been struggling to find the back of the net regularly, a task for which he has been brought in by Ruben Amorim. For him, it will be a golden chance to lead Cameroon's charge in this competition.
He missed the last AFCON owing to an injury. Now the stage is ready for him to go and deliver. He has already scored seven goals for the Red Devils. Now, time will tell whether Mbeumo can live up to the high expectations or just perish, just like the Cameroon national football team failed to qualify for the World Cup 2026.

6. Wilfried Zaha (Ivory Coast)

Wilfried Zaha's inclusion in the Ivory Coast National Football Team is just like a fairytale. He was loaned to MLS club Charlotte FC by Galatasaray last season. Since going to the USA, he has been aging like a fine wine. From scoring 10 goals and assisting six times, the Ivorian goal-machine has been everywhere - from starting the attacks to finishing the moves. He missed the bus to AFCON 2023, but his performance this season was hard to ignore.
His composure and calmness in front of goals will boost the attacking department of the defending AFCON champions. In Ivory Coast's bid to defend their throne, Zaha should be one of the best players to watch in AFCON 2025.

5. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)

The AFCON 2025 will surely present a make-or-break situation in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's international career. Once the shining jewel of Arsenal, the experienced Gabon striker will travel to Morocco to prove one or two points.
His nation has never crossed the quarter-final mark in the coveted tournament, and he will definitely be shouldered with the burden to give a final shot at continental glory at the twilight of his career. Aubameyang has had a moderate season so far with the Ligue 1 side Marseille. But it didn't stop Gabon from calling in their star forward to lead their attack.

4. Sadio Mane (Senegal)

Sadio Mane will head to Morocco as one of the best AFCON players not for what he has done this season, but for who he is. Once he was the star performer for Liverpool, clinching Premier League and UEFA Champions League titles under the watch of Jurgen Klopp. Long gone are those days when he was in the limelight, thanks to his appearance on European nights.
Ever since he moved to the Saudi Pro League to play alongside the Portuguese legend Cristiano Ronaldo, his popularity has faded. But his pace, dribbling and scoring prowess are something that only a fool will ignore. He has scored five goals in the CAF World Cup 2026 qualifiers, which means he is in fine touch. In Morocco, he is expected to bring honours for Senegal, the way he did back in 2021. It's just impossible to keep him out when we are discussing the AFCON best player 2025.

3. Victor Osimhen (Nigeria)

If someone asks why Victor Osimhen is one of the top three best AFCON players in 2025, then his performance in the CAF World Cup qualifiers is enough to answer that. He will look for redemption in Morocco following his heartbreak in Nigeria, failing to qualify for the FIFA World Cup 2026.
The Galatasaray forward Victor Osimhen has been in the form of his life in the Turkish League, hitting 12 goals across all competitions. Much to everyone's surprise, he is yet to light up any major tournament for the Super Eagles. And now, the Morocco edition gives him an opportunity to not only become the AFCON best player 2025, but also contribute to his country's ambition to win the continental championship.

2. Achraf Hakimi (Morocco)

The African footballer of the year 2025! This is who Achraf Hakimi is. And he will lead the host nation Morocco in the CAF African Championship. The 27-year-old right-back is currently in seventh heaven after winning almost every possible major club title out there with Paris Saint-Germain including the club's first-ever UEFA Champions League title.
And now he will carry the hopes of millions of Moroccans on his shoulder at home as the Atlas Lions are running after their second AFCON trophy. It's been 50 years since they lifted this coveted title. With his versatility in both attack and defense, Hakimi is one of the best AFCON players to enter the tournament.

1. Mohamed Salah (Egypt)

The Africa Cup of Nations 2025 brings a long-lost hope to the Egyptian king Mohamed Salah, a player who has been struggling to find a place in his club Liverpool, where he reached new heights a few years back. Now, under Arne Slot, once the revered hero of Anfield, has touched the lowest deck following a fall-out with the Reds' management and coaching team.
The 33-year-old will now look to lead the Pharaohs to their eighth AFCON title as he will be the main man of the attack. He scored nine goals in the World Cup qualifiers and now he should raise the bar to prove the Liverpool management to show them why they have been wrong all along to doubt his worth. The two-time African player of the year is not only the AFCON best player 2025, but also is the one of the most exciting players to watch in AFCON 2025.