We’re just a few days away from crowning a new Africa Cup of Nations champion. The teams remaining are Senegal, Egypt, Nigeria and host nation Morocco – how did they get on in the quarter finals?
In this list, we’ll be looking at the five best players at AFCON during the quarter final stage. Each of the four nations has at least one representative – can you guess who they are?
Nayef Aguerd
Nayef Aguerd’s time at West Ham United was largely an up-and-down experience for the Moroccan international, but he is showing the world what he’s capable of at AFCON.
He was practically faultless during the Atlas Lions’ win over Cameroon – not only did he keep a clean sheet, he also registered an assist along the way.
Nayef Aguerd has arguably been the best defender at the tournament – can he carry his strong form into the semi finals?
Iliman Ndiaye
Everton star Iliman Ndiaye has been brilliant in the Premier League so far this season – it should come as no surprise that he’s having an excellent tournament at AFCON with Senegal.
He scored the only goal of the game in a scrappy encounter against Mali – it was a textbook close range finish from the 25 year old.
Shockingly, this was only Ndiaye’s first goal at AFCON 2025 so far – perhaps he is saving the best for last?
Victor Osimhen
Victor Osimhen is one of the best strikers in the world at the moment – he is backing up his pedigree at AFCON with a string of top performances.
When Algeria faced Nigeria in the quarter finals, the Desert Warriors had the best defensive record in the competition – nonetheless, Osimhen was able to breach their backline to score a goal and notch up an assist along the way.
He is the second-top scorer in the competition as things stand – only Morocco’s Brahim Diaz has scored more goals. On top of this, Osimhen has notched up a pair of assists, meaning he has more goal contributions overall.
Emam Ashour
Emam Ashour was a creative mastermind in Egypt’s 3-2 win over the Ivory Coast in the quarter finals. He found Omar Marmoush for the Pharaohs’ first goal, following this up by assisting Mohamed Salah for their third.
Emam Ashour is the only player in our list who has never played for a club in the top five European leagues – currently, he plays for Al Alhy is his native country.
Could a big money move be on the horizon after AFCON concludes? At 27 years of age, he still has plenty to offer for anyone willing to take a chance on him.
Mohamed Salah
Once again, Mohamed Salah was Egypt’s saving grace. He has been on fire at AFCON 2025 – he is doing everything he can to win his first AFCON trophy.
He was the star of the show against the Ivory Coast, scoring a goal and notching up an assist as they reached the semi finals.
Can the Liverpool icon do it? He has won practically everything else available to him in football – he would love nothing more than to win an international trophy for his country.