Africa’s biggest tournament is here and we’re covering AFCON picks, parlays and best bets all tournament long. Read on for our Matchday 3 Africa Cup of Nations predictions for the following games.
AFCON Schedule: Monday, December 29
- Zimbabwe vs South Africa
- Angola vs Egypt
- Zambia vs Morocco
- Comoros vs Mali
AFCON Picks
Here are today’s best bets for the Africa Cup of Nations in Groups A and B.
| Match | Pick | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Zimbabwe vs South Africa | South Africa double chance & Foster 1+ shot on target & Dube 1+ shot attempt | (-134) |
| Angola vs Egypt | Egypt double chance & to score | (-150) |
| Zambia vs Morocco | Morocco to score over 1.5 & Diaz 1+ shot on target | (-110) |
| Comoros vs Mali | Under 3.5 & Sinayoko 1+ shot on target | (-115) |
| PARLAY | Egypt double chance / Morocco win / COM vs MAL under 3.5 | (+113) |
Zimbabwe vs South Africa Preview
Zimbabwe (Warriors)
129th in FIFA Rankings.
Coming into AFCON they won a friendly over Qatar 2-1 last month but in all matches are 1-2-5 and outscored 10-5. The Under 2.5 is 8-4 in their last 12 games now when you count their first 2 AFCON matches.
On MD1 they gave Egypt all they could handle. They were overall dominated with Egypt having 80% possession and the shots edge 32-7 and shots on target 11-3. Zimbabwe actually scored 1st in the 20′ minute and had that lead until the 64′. But it was still 1-1 until Salah scored the winner (2-1) in the 91′ minute.
On MD2 they fell behind early but tied it in first-half stoppage time and ended 1-1 with Angola. They again held minimal possession at 38% but had 5 shots on target. They lost Teenage Hadebe on defense to injury as well.
Dube was the scorer vs Egypt and Musona vs Angola. Musona is now their 2nd all-time leading scorer.
South Africa (Bafana Bafana)
61st in FIFA Rankings.
Bafana Bafana came into AFCON as one of the form teams right now being undefeated in 9 games (4-5-0). They stayed strong winning on Matchday 1, by a 2-1 score over Angola.
On MD2 they suffered defeat though, but just barely. Egypt was awarded a PK in the 45′ which they scored, then immediately took red a card right after, but South Africa couldn’t find a way to capitalize all second half and lost 1-0.
They now have 2 losses in 15 games.
Pick
South Africa has a strong history in this matchup at 8-1-2. They’ve won the last 2 friendlies 2-1 (2022) and 2-0 (2025).
Zimbabwe need something here to try and at least be one of the best 3rd place teams, something they’ve never reached (knockouts) in their history. They’re 4th in Group B with 1 point and South Africa, 2nd with 3 points. South Africa will be fine collecting 1 point and they should at least do that vs a Zimbabwe team that went winless in WCQ.
Player-wise, Foster for South Africa has a goal and 5 shots/3 on target. And Dube for Zimbabwe has a 1 goal, 5 shots/2 on target.
- AFCON Picks: South Africa double chance & Foster 1+ shot on target & Dube 1+ shot attempt (-134)
Angola vs Egypt Preview
Angola (Palancas Negras)
89th in FIFA Rankings.
On Matchday 1 they were tied 1-1 with South Africa and it looked like it could be a draw until South Africa scored in the 79′ to get a 2-1 win.
On MD2, this time it did end 1-1, as they scored first but also conceded in the first half and drew Zimbabwe 1-1. Gelson Dala scored for the Palancas Negras and is now 3rd on their all-time charts.
Before they tournament they played in a friendly vs Mozambique and won 4-1. Still, their confidence won’t be that high having won only 2/9 games, with the other vs Mauritius (176th ranked). They’ve also conceded in 11/12 overall games.
Egypt (The Pharaohs)
34th in FIFA Rankings and AFCON’s winningest team with 7 titles.
On Matchday 1 they were put to the brink, down 1-0 to Zimbabwe until they levelled in the 64′ and then scored the winner in the 91′.
Then on Matchday 2 they took the lead with a Salh PK, but then took a red (Mohamed Hany) right after and had to play the whole second half down a man, but still came out with a 1-0 win over South Africa.
Had a warm-up game last week and vs a strong opponent in Nigeria and won 2-1. They weren’t good in the Arab Cup with a 1-1 draw, 1-1 draw and 3-0 loss, not advancing out of the groups.
But in their last 24 games in all comps, they have only 2 losses. Only 3 times in 40 games have they not scored. But, they’ve only scored multiple goals twice in 9 games.
Pick
Egypt sits atop Group B with 6 points, while Angola is 3rd with just 1 point so this is much more important for Angola. But it’s a huge task against a team they’ve never beaten. Egypt is 4-3-0 all-time, though the last meeting in WCQ in 2021 was a 2-2 draw.
Despite Egypt’s reliable form, they rarely seem dominant and often need to squeek out results. Now they’ve already qualified and may rotate some players. So let’s back them to simply score and not lose. If he starts, with a goal in both games so far, Salah could be work including for a goal or shot on target.
- AFCON Picks: Egypt double chance & to score (-150)
Zambia vs Morocco Preview
Zambia (Chipolopolo)
90th in FIFA Rankings.
Matchday 1 was close vs Mali, but they were down 1-0 after an hour and it almost ended 1-0 until they drew level late on in the 92′ minute.
Scoring is low at AFCON but there haven’t been many nil-nils. That changed vs Comoros, as the two tied 0-0 in the only scoreless game so far. It was an ugly match with Comoros having the only shot on target (1) in the game.
Zambia have now won only 1/13 games in all matches. But recent scores have been close at: 0-0, 1-1, 1-0, 2-0, 1-0, 1-0 and 3-1.
Daka is the man to watch up top for player props with 21 goals in 48 caps and he scored the equalizer vs Mali.
Morocco (Atlas Lions)
11th in FIFA Rankings.
Morocco actually had another big game to play last week before AFCON, being in the Arab Cup Final vs Jordan which saw them win 3-2 in extra-time.
They opened AFCON with a 2-0 win over Comoros, though it was 0-0 until Diaz and El Kaabi scored in the 55′ and 74′ minutes.
On MD2, they drew Mali 1-1, with both goals coming from PKs, first Diaz for Morocco in first-half stoppage time, then Sinayoko for Mali in the 64′. Morocco led in shots on target 5-1.
They’ve now gone undefeated in 19 overall matches, with just 4 of those games ended drawn in regulation. In 18/19 and 31/33 games they’ve scored. They’ve also kept clean sheets in 11/14.
Pick
Morocco is 14-2-6 vs Zambia all-time, have won 5 straight by scores of 2-0, 3-1, 2-1, 1-0 and 3-1. Those last 5 have come in 2021, 2024, and 2025 so there’s plenty of recent games to compare.
This game can change lots in Group A. Morocco leads with 4 points but Mali and Zambia are right behind with 2 points. Zambia will be desperate for at least a point but they’ve not shown much to get excited about lately. Morocco to win to nil and score 2+ could be an option. Or Morocco to win with a Diaz shot on target. He has 2 goals, 6 shots/4 on target and 2 in each game so far.
- AFCON Picks: Morocco to score over 1.5 & Diaz 1+ shot on target (-110)
Comoros vs Mali Preview
Comoros (Los Coelacanthes)
108th in FIFA Rankings.
Current form: After a 4-4 draw with Yemen in Arab Cup, they won in PKs to make it to the Group Stage this fall, but then went winless in 3 games losing 3-1, 3-1 and 2-1. The winless run continued on Matchday 1 losing 2-0 to hosts Morocco, while having just 29% possession. Still, the game was 0-0 until midway through the 2nd half.
On Matchday 2 vs Zambia, Comoros had the game’s only shot on target, and they drew 0-0.
They now have only 3 clean sheets in 10 games and there’s been 2+ goals in 9/12 games.
Comoros games prior to AFCON had seen goals: 4, 8, 4, 4, 3, But now in AFCON, just 2 and 0. They’ve 0/6 in regulation overall matches, with just a PK win 6 games back.
Mali (Les Aigles)
54th in FIFA Rankings.
In all comps they come into this game with decent form at 3-3-1 after drawing Zambia 1-1 on Matchday 1, being moments away from the win before Zambia scored in stoppage time. They drew again on MD2, 1-1 against Morocco with both teams only scoring on PKs.
The BTTS bet rarely hits in Mali games outside of the last 2 games, with the BTTS NO being 12-3. Under 2.5 is 7-2 and oddly despite lower-scoring games they’ve only drawn 3/12, but they’ve also drawn each of their past 3.
Sinayoko scored vs Zambia and then again via PK vs Morocco. He’s got 6 shots and 3 on target.
Pick
This is the first-ever meeting between them.
And there’s lots on the line. Mali are 2nd with 2 points and Comoros 4th with 1 in Group A. Mali could still win the group and both could finish in the top 2, be best 3rd place team or finish 4th.
- AFCON Picks: Under 3.5 & Sinayoko 1+ shot on target (-115)
AFCON Parlay Best Bet
And in today’s AFCON parlay, we’ll back a variation of the above straight bets with Egypt not to lose, Morocco to win and a lower-scoring game between Comoros and Mali. In the 23 games that have finished at the time of recording, only 3 have seen over 3 goals.
- Picks: Egypt double chance / Morocco win / Comoros vs Mali under 3.5 (+113)
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Ryan Métivier is a seasoned editor, writer and communications professional with years of experience in all fields. When it comes to covering sports, he’s written for numerous outlets and organizations including the OHL, CHL, SportsXpress, Sports Betting Dime, Cleveland.com, MassLive, FanSided and others.
While he’ll always cheer for his hometown Toronto teams, when it comes to betting, his only allegiance is his bankroll. Ryan specializes in global soccer, the NFL and the NHL, but if there is a bet to be made, he’ll make it. As the founder of Shred The Spread, Ryan focuses on combining storylines, trends, analytics and good bankroll management to creating simple bets that make sense.
When not making a case for why both teams will score in an MLS soccer match, he can be found focusing his efforts on fitness, attempting to learn Spanish, cooking or planning his travel adventure.
