Algeria has officially secured a spot in the knockout stages of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso on Sunday. A first-half penalty from captain Riyad Mahrez was enough to separate the two sides at the Moulay El Hassan Stadium, maintaining the Desert Foxes’ perfect start to the tournament.
The decisive moment arrived in the 23rd minute when Rayan Ait-Nouri was bundled over inside the box. Mahrez, showing his trademark coolness, converted the resulting penalty to take his tournament tally to three goals. The goal also marked a historic milestone for the former Manchester City star; it was his ninth career AFCON goal, officially setting a new record for the most goals scored by an Algerian in the history of the competition.
Under the guidance of Vladimir Petkovic, the 1990 and 2019 champions have lived up to their status as tournament favorites. Algeria has now recorded two wins from two matches in Group E without conceding a single goal. The contest was noted for its physical intensity, with man-of-the-match Ibrahim Maza acknowledging the bruising nature of the game. He noted that the team expected a tough fight and was prepared to play a physical, disciplined game to secure qualification.
With six points, Algeria is guaranteed to finish at the top of Group E and will remain in Rabat for their Round of 16 tie on January 6. Burkina Faso and Sudan, both currently on three points, will face each other in a high-stakes final group match on Wednesday to determine who joins the North Africans in the next round. Algeria’s final group outing will be against Equatorial Guinea, though their position at the top of the table is already secured.
