2025 AFCON Qualifiers (Matchdays 5,6): Zakaria Aboukhlal Replaces Ilias Akhomach

2024-11-15

Morocco’s National coach Walid Regragui summoned French club Toulouse’s striker Zakaria Aboukhlal to replace injured Ilias Akhomach, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) announced on Tuesday.

Spanish club Villarreal confirmed on Sunday that their Moroccan striker, Ilias Akhomach, has ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee, sustained last Saturday during La Liga’s 13th matchday.

The Moroccan international, who left the pitch on a stretcher during his team’s 3-0 win over Alavés, “suffers from a complete rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament and a sprain of the medial collateral ligament of his right knee”, the Spanish club said on social network X.

Zakaria Aboukhlal (24) has scored four goals in eleven games for Toulouse this season.

Walid Regragui has summoned 26 players for the Moroccan national team’s matches against Gabon in Franceville on November 15 and Lesotho at Oujda’s Stade d’Honneur on November 18.

These two matches are part of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 5th and 6th round of qualifiers (Group B), to be held in Morocco from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026.

Regragui will hold a press conference this Tuesday (6 p.m.) at the Mohammed VI soccer complex in Salé, followed by a training session open to the press for the first 15 minutes.

MAP: 12 November 2024

Thanks to His Majesty the King’s Vision, Morocco Has Become a Global Football Powerhouse (CONCACAF President)

Thanks to the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco has become a global football powerhouse, said Victor Montagliani, President of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) and Vice President of FIFA.

“Morocco has an incredible history. The vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the work carried out by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation have positioned the Kingdom among the great footballing nations,” Montagliani underlined in an interview with MAP.

In this regard, he praised the strategy for developing Moroccan football, initiated under the leadership of His Majesty the King, and the recent achievements of the national team, citing the milestone achieved by Morocco’s U20 team in the World Cup and the historic achievement of the Atlas Lions in the last World Cup in Qatar (semifinals).

The Mohammed VI Football Academy is at the heart of this success story, noted the CONCACAF President, explaining that this institution plays a major role in promoting football and represents a model to be followed by many countries.

“I think Morocco today is not only the best in Africa, but one of the best in the world. And I’m sure many teams will want to avoid facing Morocco at the 2026 World Cup, because they are a very good team,” he said.

Referring to the preparations underway for the 2026 World Cup, Montagliani assured that the host countries, namely the United States, Canada, and Mexico, are “ready” to host a World Cup that promises to be “the biggest ever organized.”

This unprecedented edition of football’s premier competition is the first to be jointly organized by three countries and the first to feature 48 teams, which will play a total of 104 matches, including 78 in the United States, 13 in Canada, and 13 in Mexico, he noted.

The matches in this global tournament will be played in 16 stadiums: 11 in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The opening match is scheduled for June 11 at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, while the final will take place on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New York/New Jersey.

2025 AFCON: AMCI Fan Zone Inaugurated in Rabat for International Students, Cooperation Graduates

The minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), Fouzi Lekjaa, in the presence of Patrice Motsepe, President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), inaugurated on Saturday in Rabat the AMCI Fan Zone, dedicated to international students and graduates of the Kingdom of Morocco’s cooperation programs.

This Fan Zone has been set up at the International University Campus of Rabat, which falls under the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI). More than 80 nationalities live on this campus, including students from 47 African countries, making it one of the places with the greatest diversity per square meter on the African continent.

The inauguration ceremony of the AMCI Fan Zone, held notably in the presence of the Dean of African Ambassadors to Morocco, Mouhamadou Youssifou, African ambassadors accredited in Rabat, the CAF Secretary General, Véron Mosengo-Omba, and the Ambassador Director General of AMCI, Mohamed Methqal, also saw the participation of ambassadors from African countries accredited to the Kingdom, as well as a large number of international students and graduates of Morocco’s cooperation programs, who came to celebrate this event marked by fraternity and the promotion of sporting values.

This Fan Zone places the youth at the heart of this major continental celebration, making sport, the arts and culture vehicles for exchange, integration and sharing.

This initiative illustrates the Kingdom of Morocco’s commitment to implementing the Vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, for an emerging and sustainable Africa based on effective solidarity and the promotion of South-South cooperation. It also reflects the central place accorded by the Sovereign to African youth.

Covering an area of 5,000 square meters, the AMCI Fan Zone aims to welcome nearly 50,000 visitors throughout AFCON 2025.

In a festive atmosphere combining sport, culture and entertainment, and involving students and graduates of the Kingdom’s cooperation programs, the Fan Zone will offer throughout the competition live broadcasts of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations matches on a giant screen, the organization of a football tournament dedicated to students, gaming and e-sports areas fostering interaction and conviviality, eight diverse artistic and cultural days featuring performances, as well as four thematic conferences.

Currently, around 20,000 African students from 47 countries are pursuing higher education in Morocco through the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation, underscoring the Kingdom’s strong and lasting commitment to a forward-looking and solidarity-based South-South cooperation.

CAF Awards 2025: Moroccan Othmane Maamaa Named Best Young Player of the Year

Moroccan Watford forward Othmane Maamaa won the Best Young Player of the Year award during the CAF Awards ceremony, held Wednesday in Rabat.

Maamaa had previously been named Best Player at the U20 World Cup held last October in Chile, which was won by the Atlas Lion Cubs.

CAF Awards: Moroccan Yassine Bounou Named Best Goalkeeper of 2025

The Moroccan national team goalkeeper and Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia) player, Yassine Bounou, was named Africa’s Best Goalkeeper for 2025 during the CAF Awards ceremony held Wednesday in Rabat.

Recognized for his outstanding performances with the Atlas Lions, Bounou was also selected in the FIFA Club World Cup Best XI, held last summer in the United States.

Doha Madani

AS FAR player Doha Madani won the Best Young Player of the Year award during the CAF Awards ceremony, held Wednesday evening in Rabat.

At 20 years old, the young Moroccan represents a true hope for Moroccan and African football.

Meanwhile, Tanzanian Clement Mzize, a TP Mazembe player, received the award for the Best Goal of the Year 2025.

Also nominated for the award were goals scored by Moroccans Oussama Lamlioui, forward for Renaissance Berkane, and Ghizlane Chebbak, captain of the Lionesses of the Atlas.

Electronic Visas via Yalla App Now Free of Charge for AFCON 2025

In coordination with the relevant Moroccan authorities and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), the Local Organizing Committee informs all supporters of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco that electronic visas to Morocco via the Yalla app for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) are now free of charge.

In a press release shared on Tuesday, the organizing committee reiterated that the FAN ID is mandatory for access to any stadium hosting the 2025 AFCON in Morocco, noting that applications for electronic visas and FAN IDs are processed simultaneously on the Yalla app.

According to the same source, the official website for the Yalla app for obtaining a FAN ID is: https://www.yallamorocco.ma.

“In order to better assist applicants, a dedicated customer service line (+212 5 30 30 20 30) has been launched,” the press release says, adding that it is available in three languages (Arabic, English, and French) and has a team on hand to answer any questions and assist users 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“Applicants can also contact the support team via email at [email protected],” the same source adds.

“The organizing committee would like to thank all the fans, media, delegations, and partners for their enthusiasm and reaffirms its commitment to ensuring an optimal experience for everyone,” the press release concludes.

Monday 22 December 2025