CAF unveils tough anti-doping crackdown ahead of AFCON 2025

By Maxwell Kumoye 

 

  

 

As the countdown to the Africa Cup of Nations begins, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rolled out a hard-hitting anti-doping plan aimed at keeping the continent’s biggest tournament clean, fair, and uncompromised.

With AFCON kicking off December 21 across six Moroccan cities, CAF has declared zero tolerance for performance-enhancing drugs and the message is unmistakable.

Under the new regime, every single match will see two players from each team tested, either randomly or hand-picked by CAF’s anti-doping officers. The moment the final whistle goes, selected players must report directly to the testing room, shadowed by CAF chaperones and accompanied by team officials, preferably the team doctor.

And the checks won’t stop at the stadium.

CAF confirmed players may be tested anytime, anywhere during the tournament, whether at hotels, training grounds, or airports, as part of an expanded effort to eliminate doping risks entirely.

Beyond policing drug use, CAF has also ramped up medical protection for players. The organisation is setting up clinics, deploying medical teams, and positioning both ground and air ambulances across host cities, with injury and health monitoring systems active in airports, hotels and stadiums.

With Agadir, Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Rabat and Tangier set to host Africa’s finest, the message from CAF is clear,AFCON 2025 will be played with intensity, passion and clean athletes only.