Five young stars to look for at the 2025 AFCON

Martin Macdonald

• 16 Dec 2025 05:30 CST
• 5 min read

Analysis

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations kicks off soon and there are a number of exciting youngsters who will be representing their country in Morocco.

Ivory Coast are looking to defend their AFCON title, having defeated Nigeria 2-1 in the 2023 final. It will take place between 21 December and 18 January.

Let's take a look at five wonderkids capable of lighting up the tournament.

Yan Diomande (RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast)

Some eyebrows were raised when RB Leipzig splashed €20 million on teenage Diomande from Spanish second-tier side Leganes in the summer.

However, he has been excellent in the Bundesliga in the current campaign with eight goal contributions in 14 games.

His rise to become the player he is has been inspirational. After leaving his home in the Ivory Coast at the age of just 10 to move to the United States, he eventually had unsuccessful trials at MLS sides Colorado Rapids and Charlotte FC, as well as Rangers in Scotland.

Diomande found a home at Leganes and earned his move away, with some of the biggest clubs in England reportedly keeping tabs on his progress.

He is currently valued at €100m.

Eliesse Ben Seghir (Leverkusen and Morocco)

Ben Seghir was chosen this summer to be the player to replace the brilliance of Florian Wirtz at Leverkusen, who spent around €32 million to sign him from Monaco.

His emergence as a prodigy with the Ligue 1 side led to him being labelled as 'the next Kylian Mbappe', perhaps unfairly. He has carved out a name for himself all on his own and will be one of the key players for the host nation, Morocco.

Ben Seghir registered 15 goals and eight assists in 85 first-team appearances for Monaco.

Unfortunately for the youngster, he is yet to hit the ground running for Leverkusen with no goals and no assists in 14 appearances so far, though most of those appearances have been from the bench.

But, the talent is there and the stage at AFCON 2025 is perfect.

Noah Sadiki (Sunderland and DR Congo)

Sadiki has been a revelation for Sunderland since his transfer from Union SG in the summer and has played ever one of the Black Cats' 16 Premier League matches so far in 2025/26.

A defensive midfielder by trade, he displays a composure on the ball that defies his young age and he has formed an excellent partnership in the middle of the pitch with veteran Granit Xhaka.

Manchester United were monitoring him before his switch to Sunderland and they have retained their interest for 2026, though Chelsea and Tottenham are also sniffing around.

Sadiki cost Sunderland €17m and they now value him at around €60m.

He is only 20 but has already made 13 appearances for Senegal, having chosen to represent the African nation instead of the country of his birth, Belgium.

Ibrahim Mbaye (PSG and Senegal)

Luis Enrique has an embarrassment of riches at his disposal at Paris Saint-Germain, particularly in attacking areas.

Yet, 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye has received plenty of minutes to impress this season, with 19 appearances to his name in the first half of the campaign. Despite his young age he has been trusted to lead the line for PSG on a few occasions.

He hasn't been battering in the goals, but at just 17 these minutes are for gaining experience, not necessarily scoring.

Mbaye is eligible to play for France, Morocco and Senegal but pledged allegiance to Senegal and made his debut against Brazil before becoming his country's youngest ever goalscoring when he hit the back of the net in a 8-0 demolition of Kenya.

Karl Etta Eyong (Levante and Cameroon)

Etta Eyong has suddenly gone from a player on the periphery of stardom to one of the most sought-after strikers in Spain, with five goals in 12 appearances for Levante following a transfer from Villarreal.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been heavily linked with the 22-year-old, however reports in Spain have indicated that Arsenal are the frontrunners for his signature.

Etta Eyong joined Levante in the summer for just €3.8m in a deal with Villarreal, who retain a 20% stake in the player, but he is now valued between €30m and €40m.

He is yet to find the back of the net for Cameroon, but his sudden emergence means he could be trusted as a key player for the Indomitable Lions.

AFCON Groups

Group A: Comoros, Mali, Morocco, Zambia

Group B: Angola, Egypt, South Africa, Zimbabwe

Group C: Nigeria, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda

Group D: Benin, Botswana, DR Congo, Senegal,

Group E: Algeria, Burkina Faso, Equatorial Guinea, Sudan

Group F: Cameroon, Gabon, Ivory Coast, Mozambique

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