Africa’s biggest football carnival roars back to life late this year, with Morocco hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations from Dec 21, 2025 to Jan 18, 2026. Expectations are sky‑high, and while every team dreams of lifting the trophy, the race for the Golden Boot is an interesting subplot fans are already buzzing about.
With goals flying in everywhere from Europe’s top leagues to Africa’s own qualifiers, a clutch of elite Africans have their sights set on Morocco’s scoring charts.
Based on recent club form, World Cup qualifying exploits, and proven finishing instincts, Footynaija.com brings you six forwards most likely to haul goals for their nations and fight for that Golden Boot glory.
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Victor Osimhen (Nigeria )
If there’s one striker on this list who literally embodies goal scoring, it’s Victor Osimhen. The 26‑year‑old Nigerian powerhouse completed a record move to Turkish champions Galatasaray in 2025 after a sensational loan season where he finished as the Super Lig’s top scorer with 26 goals in 30 league games and a total of 37 goals in 41 matches across all competitions. His blistering pace, aerial dominance, and killer instinct make him a terror in the box and a nightmare for defenders.
Osimhen didn’t slow down in continental competition either, scoring 6 goals in just 4 Champions League games so far in the 2025/26 season, a sign he’s carrying his club form straight into national duty.
On the international front, Osimhen’s influence was clear in World Cup qualifiers, where he ended with 8 goals, right in the mix with Africa’s elite scorers. With every touch threatening danger, he’ll be Super Eagles’s prime weapon and first name on the team sheet in Morocco.
Mohamed El Amine Amoura (Algeria)
The Algerian winger‑turned‑striker is one of the breakout African scorers of the last year. At 25 and plying his trade in the Bundesliga with VfL Wolfsburg, Amoura has already carved out a strong club season, scoring 5 goals and chipping in 2 assists in 13 German top‑flight games this term while regularly creating chances.
Where Amoura really hit the headlines was in World Cup qualifying, where he finished as Africa’s top marksman with 10 goals, edging out even Mohamed Salah. That kind of finishing form for Algeria, a team that made the World Cup and plays with real fluidity, makes Amoura an exciting dark horse in the AFCON Golden Boot race. He isn’t just a poacher, he’s a goal‑everywhere type threat with pace, balance, and fearlessness inside the box.
Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
The Pharaohs’ talisman needs no introduction. Even at 33, Mo Salah is still one of the fiercest African forwards, with a remarkable track record at club and international levels.
In Europe’s Premier League with Liverpool, Salah’s 2024/25 season saw him rack up league‑leading offensive numbers, and he leads the favourites in AFCON top‑scorer betting odds heading into the tournament, speaking volumes about his enduring threat.
Salah scored 9 goals in World Cup qualifiers, proving he can still tear defences apart on the international stage. At AFCON, he’ll be Egypt’s heartbeat, turning half‑chances into goals, scoring in clutch moments, and dragging defences wide with his explosive runs. With seven AFCON goals already in his tournament résumé, Salah’s hunger for another Golden Boot is as real as it gets.
Youssef En‑Nesyri (Morocco)
Playing in front of a home crowd is always a boost, and Youssef En‑Nesyri will feel every ounce of that in Morocco. The 28‑year‑old striker has adapted well since his big move to Fenerbahçe, scoring 7 goals in 15 Turkish Super Lig games this season and showcasing a lethal blend of power and positioning inside the box.
En‑Nesyri’s club career bears out his consistency too, he scored 51 goals in 143 games during his time with Sevilla before the switch to Turkey. He’s not just a physical presence, he’s clinical in and around the six‑yard box and will relish Morocco’s attacking support behind him.
Though not atop the continental qualifying goals chart, his club rhythm and the energy of a home AFCON crowd make him a dark horse capable of running among the leading scorers in Morocco.
Pierre‑Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon)
Age might suggest decline for many forwards, but Pierre‑Emerick Aubameyang has defied that narrative time and again. The veteran Gabonese striker re‑signed with Marseille in 2025 after a prolific time in Saudi Arabia, where he finished the 2024/25 season with 17 goals in domestic play before returning to Ligue 1.
Aubameyang has been a model of longevity and sharp finishing throughout his career, and in World Cup qualifiers he netted 7 goals, proving he still knows his way to the target. His blend of instinctive positioning, pace for his age, and calmness in front of goal make him a genuine threat to defy the odds and sneak into the Golden Boot picture at AFCON.
Sadio Mané (Senegal)
We’d be remiss not to mention Sadio Mané, the man who’s etched his name into Senegal’s football history. At 33, Mané remains Senegal’s all‑time top scorer with 51 international goals, a proof of his consistency and lethal finishing over an illustrious career.
Though his club situation recently has been in flux, his experience and sharp instincts in big moments make him a perennial threat. He contributed goals in World Cup qualifying and in a team built to go deep, Mané’s savvy around the box gives him every chance to add to his tally in Morocco and fight for that Golden Boot nod even as younger stars rise around him.
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