Gyan, who remains Ghana’s all-time top scorer and one of the continent’s most respected football voices, shared his thoughts on the red carpet of the 2025 CAF Awards.
With Ghana failing to qualify for the tournament in Morocco, the former Sunderland striker believes the race for the trophy will be led by three of Africa’s most consistent sides in recent years.
"I think we've got a lot of giants who are going there," Gyan said. "Ghana is out, which we are very disappointed about, but it is okay we have qualified for the World Cup."
"Nigeria did well, they were close last two years. Ivory Coast did well so we have a lot of teams. Morocco is also a strong contender who are also doing well. I will say these three countries that I have mentioned: Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Morocco are favourites."
Nigeria head into the tournament looking to build on their impressive run to the 2023 AFCON final, where they narrowly missed out on the trophy. With a squad stacked with European-based talent, the Super Eagles have been widely discussed as one of the teams to beat.
Ivory Coast will also be under the spotlight after their remarkable triumph on home soil in 2023. Returning to defend the title, they remain among the strongest football nations on the continent.
Morocco, meanwhile, continue to ride the momentum of their historic 2022 World Cup semi-final run. With a settled squad and a highly rated technical setup, the Atlas Lions enter AFCON 2025 as hosts and most importantly as one of the most in-form countries.
The AFCON 2025 is expected to kick off on December 21 and all eyes will be on Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Morocco to see whether they can live up to the expectations set by one of Africa’s greatest football legends.
