AFCON 2025 produced a tournament shaped by narrow margins, tactical discipline, and individual quality, Footynaija.com reports.
Senegal lifted the title after an extra-time win over hosts Morocco, while Nigeria claimed third place through penalties against Egypt.
Across the competition, a number of players stood out through goals, influence, and consistency, often determining how far their teams progressed.
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Here are the seven best performers of the tournament, ranked.
7. Mohamed Salah, Egypt
Mohamed Salah finished AFCON 2025 with four goals, leaving him two short of Hossam Hassan’s Egypt record of 69. Egypt exited in the semi-finals after a 1–0 defeat to Senegal, extending the Liverpool forward’s wait for a first AFCON title to five attempts.
This was his strongest overall tournament showing since 2017, when he led Egypt to the final. His influence was not limited to goals. In the 2–1 group win over Zimbabwe, he created chances from wide areas, and throughout the competition he acted as the outlet for a defensively set-up side.
His strength in holding up play and timing of inside runs were central to Egypt’s counter-attacks. His finishes against Benin and Ivory Coast reflected that.
6. Amad, Ivory Coast
Amad came to AFCON 2025 without any experience in this tournament, but he became Ivory Coast’s most reliable attacker. The 23-year-old made his debut for the Elephants in 2021 but has only had 10 more caps since then.
This competition changed that, though. His left-footed dribbling exposed full-backs, and his ability to escape pressure in tight spaces made him difficult to contain.
He scored in Ivory Coast’s first two group games, was rested for the third, then recorded a goal and an assist in the 3–0 win over Burkina Faso in the round of 16.
Egypt’s compact structure limited his influence in the quarter-finals, where Ivory Coast lost 3–2, but his impact across the tournament was mind-blowing!
5. Calvin Bassey, Nigeria
Calvin Bassey’s tournament was about control. His only main error was in the 4–0 round-of-16 win over Mozambique, when he picked up an unnecessary yellow card.
The Fulham defender read danger early, carried the ball out of defence, and switched play with confidence. His performance in the semi-final against Morocco stood out, where he repeatedly denied space and absorbed pressure before Nigeria eventually lost on penalties.
4. Alex Iwobi, Nigeria
Alex Iwobi’s AFCON 2025 changed people’s perception about him. Now into his second decade with the national team, he earned his 96th cap during the competition and operated in a deeper midfield role behind Wilfred Ndidi and Frank Onyeka.
That adjustment allowed him to dictate play. He registered two assists against Tanzania in the opener and was constantly feeding Nigeria’s forward line, playing a part in the team scoring the team’s 14 goals in the first five games.
3. Ademola Lookman, Nigeria
Ademola Lookman continued his strong relationship with the AFCON stage. Two years earlier, he scored three times in the knockout rounds. This time, he directly contributed to seven goals in six matches.
You could say he had an underwhelming semi-final against Morocco, but his best works in the tournament were he was moved into a central role behind Victor Osimhen and Akor Adams.
Following a slow start to the season with Atalanta, the 28-year-old used this tournament to reassert his attacking sharpness.
2. Victor Osimhen, Nigeria
Victor Osimhen arrived as Nigeria’s reference point and delivered accordingly. The 27-year-old scored four goals and recorded two assists.
He captained the side in Ndidi’s absence, organised the press, dominated aerial duels, and unsettled defences with his movement. His partnership with Lookman and Akor Adams gave opponents defence headache.
After requesting to be substituted against Mozambique following a disagreement with Lookman, despite scoring twice, he responded with a commanding display against Algeria, where he scored again and set up another.
1. Brahim Díaz, Morocco
Brahim Díaz opened the tournament with a composed finish against Comoros in the opening match and never slowed. He scored in four consecutive AFCON games, becoming the first Moroccan to do so, with finishes using both feet before adding a thigh effort against Cameroon in the quarter-finals.
The 26-year-old Real Madrid forward ended the tournament as top scorer. He converted his shots, won a penalty, created a big chance, and averaged 5.2 duels per match.
His presence drove Morocco’s run to their first final in 22 years, placing him one win away from ending a 50-year wait for a second continental title.
