Morocco Open Africa Cup of Nations with Eyes on the Title

Hosts Morocco will kick off the finals of the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday when they face Comoros in Group A, which also includes Mali and Zambia.

The “Atlas Lions” are aiming to lift a long-awaited continental title — their first since 1976 — and put an end to a series of painful disappointments, most notably the 2004 final defeat and the failure of the 1988 edition, which was staged on home soil.

There is no doubt that Morocco enter the tournament under heavy pressure, especially after their disappointing exit in the round of 16 at the previous edition in Ivory Coast, despite being among the leading contenders for the title. This campaign could represent a decisive — and possibly final — chapter for head coach Walid Regragui, heightening expectations among Moroccan fans eager for a repeat of the historic Qatar 2022 World Cup run, when he guided the team to a fourth-place finish.

Regragui is widely expected to deliver a second continental crown to a trophy cabinet that has lacked major honors for nearly half a century. Aside from the 1976 triumph, Morocco have endured several painful moments — from goalkeeper Badou Zaki’s tears after his costly error in the 1988 semi-final, to the final defeat against Tunisia in 2004, followed by early exits in the 2021 and 2023 editions.

To achieve their dream, Regragui is relying on the core of the Qatar 2022 generation, led by goalkeeper Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Sofyan Amrabat, and Azzedine Ounahi, while reinforcing the squad with promising young talents such as Brahim Díaz and Bilal El Khannouss.

Following the draw, which placed Morocco in Group A alongside Mali, Zambia, and Comoros, Regragui made it clear that the objective is to win the title. He stressed that playing at home and in front of their supporters offers an advantage, but does not guarantee success in a tournament expected to feature fierce competition from several traditional African powerhouses.

Here are the key numbers that may help you predict the correct score and win valuable prizes with “Betway”:

• This will be the second Africa Cup of Nations encounter between Morocco and Comoros. Their only previous encounter ended in a 2–0 victory for Morocco in the group stage in January 2022.
• This is Comoros’ second appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations, following their debut in 2022, when they lost three of their four matches but still reached the round of 16 before exiting against hosts Cameroon (2–1).
• Morocco are taking part in the Africa Cup of Nations for the 20th time. Their only title to date came nearly 50 years ago, in 1976.
• Morocco are hosting the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time after the 1988 edition, which they finished in fourth place, while Cameroon were crowned champions.
• All host nations (or co-hosts) have successfully advanced from the group stage in each of the last 15 editions, with just one exception — Gabon in 2017.
• Morocco have won 9 of their last 11 Africa Cup of Nations group-stage matches (2 draws). Their last group-stage defeat came against DR Congo in 2017 (0–1), and they have failed to score only once in their last 13 matches in the tournament — a 0–2 loss to South Africa in the round of 16 at the previous edition.
• Morocco recorded the best goal difference in the qualifiers for the 2025 tournament at +24 (26 goals scored, 2 conceded).
• Brahim Díaz finished the qualifiers as top scorer with 7 goals in 4 matches.

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