Morocco's quest for AFCON triumph: Building on World Cup 2022 success
After a historic FIFA World Cup campaign in 2022, can Morocco continue their impressive run to be crowned champions of Africa at AFCON?
A mere thirteen months after their 2022 FIFA World Cup fairytale, Morocco are back to fight for their continent’s most prestigious prize: the Africa Cup of Nations.
The last time the Atlas Lions were crowned Champions of Africa was almost fifty years ago in 1976. They came close again in 2004, losing out to Tunisia, and since then have failed to make it past the quarter-final stage.
But this year feels different.
In December 2022, Walid Regragui’s side traveled further than any African nation had before at a FIFA World Cup, reaching the final four.
To get there, they topped a group of Belgium, Croatia and Canada before seeing off giants Spain and Portugal.
Although they missed out on a place in the final after losing 2-0 to France in the semi-finals, the Atlas Lions cemented their name in FIFA World Cup history, capturing the attention - and hearts - of football fans across the globe in the process.
Now they’ll be looking to springboard from their historic World Cup run in the Ivory Coast to secure a long-awaited second Africa Cup of Nations.
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Morocco at AFCON: Recent form
The Atlas Lions played a total of seven fixtures in 2023 following their success at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, losing only one in the process.
They continued their historic run in their first friendly fixture of 2023, with an inaugural 2-1 win over five-time World Cup winners Brazil. Goals from Sofiane Boufal and Abdelhamid Sabiri cemented Morocco’s first-ever win over the South American giants.
Walid Regragui’s side then went on to compete in two 0-0 draws against Peru and Cape Verde before losing 2-1 to South Africa in June.
Later on in the year, they came up against Burkina Faso whom they beat 1-0 before holding AFCON hosts Ivory Coast to a 1-1 draw.
Morocco ended their 2023 with a comfortable 2-0 win over Tanzania in the CAF FIFA World Cup qualifying fixtures.
Once thought of as underdogs, the Atlas Lions now find themselves ranked 13th in the FIFA world rankings and are facing increasing pressure to emerge as champions at this year’s AFCON.
Morocco's historic World Cup run in 2022 inspired a nation of football fans
Morocco at AFCON: Key players and full squad
Despite being thrown in the deep end with an unexpected appointment ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, Morocco boss Walid Regragui has so far impressed critics with his side’s performances.
There is no doubt that Regragui will call upon the likes of PSG’s Achraf Hakimi and Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech (currently on loan at Galatasaray) as he looks to secure the Africa Cup of Nations.
Hakimi was one of Morocco’s key players throughout their 2022 FIFA World Cup campaign. He proved his worth as a well-rounded defender, ensuring that his team only conceded one goal in five games before facing France in the semi-finals. He also scored the winning penalty against Spain that took his side to the quarter-finals.
Morocco’s full 27-man squad for the Africa Cup of Nations:
Goalkeepers
Yassine Bounou (Al-Hilal)
Munir El Kajoui (Al-Wehda)
El Mehdi Benabid (AS FAR)
Defenders
Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain)
Mohamed Chibi (Pyramids)
Abdelkabir Abqar (Deportivo Alaves)
Nayef Aguerd (West Ham United)
Romain Saïss (Al-Shabab)
Yunis Abdelhamid (Stade de Reims)
Chadi Riad (Real Betis)
Noussair Mazraoui (Bayern Munich)
Yahya Attiat Allah (Wydad)
Midfielders
Selim Amallah (Valencia)
Amir Richardson (Stade de Reims)
Oussama El Azzouzi (Bologna FC)
Sofyan Amrabat (Manchester United)
Azzedine Ounahi (Marseille)
Bilal El Khannouss (Genk)
Forwards
Hakim Ziyech (Galatasaray)
Ismail Saibari (PSV Eindhoven)
Amine Adli (Bayer Leverkusen)
Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos)
Youssef En-Nesyri (Sevilla)
Tarik Tissoudali (Gent)
Amine Harit (Marseille)
Abde Ezzalzouli (Real Betis)
Sofiane Boufal (Al-Rayyan)
Morocco at AFCON: Match schedule and route to the final
Morocco have been drawn in Group F of the Africa Cup of Nations, along with DR Congo, Tanzania and Zambia.
Their opening fixture is against Tanzania on Wednesday 17 January, 2024 at the Stade Laurent Pokou in Ivory Coast.
Morocco’s group stage fixtures:
Wednesday 17 January, 2024: Morocco v Tanzania****Kick off: 05:00pm GMT/local
Venue: Stade Laurent Pokou
Sunday 21 January, 2024: Morocco v DR Congo
Kick off: 02:00pm GMT/local
Venue: Stade Laurent Pokou
Thursday 11 January, 2024: Morocco v Zambia
Kick off: 08:00pm GMT/local
Venue: Stade Laurent Pokou
Should Morocco top Group F, their route to the final will be as follows:
Round of 16
Tuesday 30 January, 2024: Morocco v 2nd Place Group E
Kick off: 08:00pm GMT/local
Venue: Stade Laurent Pokou
Quarter-final
Saturday 3 February 2024: Morocco v Winner of Group B Winner v 3rd Place Group A/C/D
Kick off: 08:00pm GMT/local
Venue: Stade Charles Konan Banny
Semi-final
Wednesday 7 February, 2024: Morocco v Winner of Quarter-Final 2
Kick off: 05:00pm GMT/local
Venue: Stade de la Paix
Final
Sunday 11 February, 2024: Morocco v Winner of Semi-Final 1
Kick off: 08:00pm GMT/
Venue: Stade Olympique Alassane Ouattara
Morocco at AFCON: How to watch Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations
All the 53 matches of the Africa Cup of Nations will be aired exclusively by StarTimes on their Sports Premium, Sports Life and Beta Sports channels. The fixtures will also be shown for free on the CAF YouTube channel.
For fans in the United Kingdom, the majority of matches will be broadcast live across the Sky Sports network and streamed on the SkyGo app.