The race for the Golden Boot at the AFCON 2025 in Morocco remains finely poised as the tournament moves into the knockout rounds, with goals shared widely and no single forward yet breaking clear Bold Sports reports.
After the group stage, three players lead the scoring charts on three goals apiece: Morocco duo Ayoub El Kaabi and Brahim Díaz, and Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez. Their shared position at the summit reflects both the balance of the competition and the variety of attacking routes on display.
El Kaabi has been Morocco’s cutting edge, his sharp movement and clinical finishing driving the hosts’ composed progress. Díaz has complemented that threat with goals from deeper, creative areas, adding imagination and precision to Morocco’s attacking play. For Algeria, Mahrez has once again shown his big-stage credentials, blending leadership with decisive contributions as the Desert Foxes cruised through the group phase with a perfect record.
Close behind is a sizeable chasing pack, with 13 players on two goals each, further evidence that AFCON 2025 has resisted the emergence of a single dominant scorer. The list spans the continent’s elite and its rising talents, including Nigeria’s Ademola Lookman, Côte d’Ivoire’s Amad Diallo, Tunisia’s Elias Achouri, DR Congo’s Gaël Kakuta, South Africa’s Lyle Foster, Egypt’s Mohamed Salah and Senegal’s Nicolas Jackson.
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That spread tells its own story. Goals have arrived from wide forwards, attacking midfielders and central strikers alike, often shared across squads rather than funnelled through one focal point. The result has been group matches that stayed alive deep into the second half, with qualification frequently decided by moments rather than sustained control.
The wider numbers reinforce that pattern. A total of 53 different players found the net once during the group stage, underlining the collective attacking responsibility embraced by many teams and the tactical flexibility that has characterised this tournament.
As the knockout phase begins, defences are expected to tighten and chances to become scarcer. In that context, the Golden Boot race may hinge on who can deliver under the sharpest pressure, whether it is the established leaders at the top of the chart or one of the many contenders just behind them.
For now, AFCON 2025 remains a competition rich in attacking variety, where individual honours are as fiercely contested as the trophy itself.
Top scorers at the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (after group stage)
3 goals:
Ayoub El Kaabi (Morocco)
Brahim Díaz (Morocco)
Riyad Mahrez (Algeria)
2 goals:
Lyle Foster (South Africa)
Ademola Lookman (Nigeria)
Geny Catamo (Mozambique)
Gaël Kakuta (DR Congo)
Ibrahim Maza (Algeria)
Elias Achouri (Tunisia)
Oswin Appollis (South Africa)
Amad Diallo (Côte d’Ivoire)
Nicolas Jackson (Senegal)
Chérif Ndiaye (Senegal)
Raphael Onyedika (Nigeria)
Mohamed Salah (Egypt)
Lassine Sinayoko (Mali)
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