AFCON 2025: AMCI Fan Zone Hosts 2nd ‘Inspire & Debate’ Cycle Conference

Beida will be assisted by Angolans Jerson Emiliano dos Santos and Ivanildo Meirelles de Oliveira Sanchez, while Sudanese official Mahmood Ali Mahmood Ismail will serve as fourth referee, the African football governing body said.

VAR will be handled by Ghanaian Daniel Laryea, assisted by Tunisian Haythem Guirat and Mauritanian Boubacar Sarr, CAF noted.

The quarterfinal clash between the Atlas Lions and the Indomitable Lions is scheduled for Friday at 8:00 p.m. at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

“This is a continental clash. Whether in the AFCON or the World Cup, Cameroon has always been a major nation representing Africa. We hope to show a strong face of African football,” Regragui said during the pre-match press conference.

“At this stage of the competition, confidence and mentality are crucial. Even the smallest mistake can be costly,” he warned, noting that the midfield battle will be particularly important.

“Morocco has won its recent matches against Cameroon. As a player, I’ve always had success against Cameroon,” he added, pointing out that the Cameroonians are highly motivated to go far in this tournament after missing out on qualification for the 2026 World Cup.

On another note, the national coach acknowledged that pressure is always present. “The players feel it. We have to take responsibility. What matters most is that the public continues to support us. We have the humility to believe that we can win this CAN,” he said. “We are still in the same mindset and trust what we are doing.”

“Our mentality will be very important,” the national coach added, highlighting the quality of midfield players such as Bilal El Khannous, Ismael Saibari, and Neil El Ainaoui.

Regarding the Atlas Lions’ injury situation, Regragui announced that the team has recovered striker Hamza Igamane, who is back from injury and now 100% fit.

As for Sofyane Amrabat, the coach indicated that the midfielder is still dealing with an ankle injury. “The medical staff is doing everything possible to get him back quickly,” he said.

For his part, Hamza Igamane, he noted that the match against Cameroon will not be easy. “I thank the national team’s medical staff for helping me recover. Now 100% fit, I am at the coach’s disposal. We are one team. Whether I start or not doesn’t matter. What counts is that we reach the semifinals.”

The Morocco vs. Cameroon match will take place on Friday at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat at 8:00 p.m.

Cameroon qualified for the CAN quarterfinals by defeating South Africa (2-1). Meanwhile, Morocco secured its quarterfinal spot after overcoming Tanzania (1-0).

The Atlas Lions, who eliminated Tanzania in the round of 16 (1–0), will come up against formidable opposition they know well. This encounter will be played under the banner of revenge for the Atlas Lions, as the Indomitable Lions, five-time African champions (1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017), knocked Morocco out 37 years ago in the AFCON semifinals, when the tournament was hosted by the Kingdom (1988).

Cameroon, who edged South Africa in the round of 16 (2–1), are riding a wave of momentum, especially since they were not tipped as favorites to enjoy a remarkable run at this AFCON, given the circumstances that preceded their trip to Morocco.

After their elimination in the qualification tournament for the intercontinental playoffs of the 2026 World Cup, Cameroon undertook a sweeping overhaul of their national team, appointing David Pagou as head coach of the Indomitable Lions just three weeks before the kickoff of the continental competition. Moreover, several senior players were left out, including Vincent Aboubakar, André Onana, and Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting.

These changes appear to have paid off, as Cameroon defeated Gabon (1–0), drew with Côte d’Ivoire (1–1), and got the better of Mozambique (2–1) in the group stage, delivering high-quality performances that confirmed the Indomitable Lions’ ambitions for the title.

This clash of Lions already promises to be a thrilling one, all the more so as history will never forget that Morocco were the first Arab and African country to reach the knockout stage of the World Cup (1986), before the Indomitable Lions followed suit four years later by reaching the quarterfinals (Italy 1990).

Morocco, who will be without Azzedine Ounahi, ruled out for the remainder of the competition, will place great hopes in a Brahim Díaz at the peak of his powers—the tournament’s top scorer so far with four goals—to breach the Cameroonian defense, which has conceded three goals to date.

The Atlas Lions will also enjoy a major advantage: a home crowd fully behind them and a run of 37 home matches unbeaten. The last home defeat suffered by the national team dates back to 2009—against… Cameroon.

The Indomitable Lions, renowned for their solid defensive organization, outstanding physical condition, and mastery of counter-attacks, represent a serious test for Walid Regragui’s men, who are hoping to reach the semifinals for the first time since the 2004 edition, when the dream of Regragui’s teammates, then the national team’s right-back, ended in the final.

Cameroon’s most lethal weapon is undoubtedly winger Bryan Mbeumo, who plays for Manchester United alongside Noussair Mazraoui, not to mention young Bayer Leverkusen center-forward Christian Kofane (2 goals/19 years old).

The winner of this enticing quarterfinal will face the victor of the other last-eight clash between Nigeria and Algeria, scheduled for the 10th of the month at the Grand Stadium of Marrakech.

Organized within the framework of the “Inspire & Debate” conference series, this second meeting for international students and graduates in Morocco is part of the Kingdom of Morocco’s commitment, under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist Him, in support of African youth.

This conference series provides a dynamic platform for exchange, debate and inspiration around sport, football and the major challenges facing the African continent.

The second conference in this series, held under the theme “Sport, Football and African Integration,” took place in the conference hall of the International University City of Rabat, which falls under the supervision of AMCI. It brought together more than 250 participants, including African ambassadors accredited to the Kingdom of Morocco, senior institutional officials, private sector stakeholders and numerous international students.

The meeting was opened by the ambassador and Director General of AMCI, Mohamed Methqal, and featured the participation of several distinguished speakers, including the minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Younes Sekkouri, Abdelmalek Alaoui, economist and Founder and CEO of GUEPARD Group, Cedrick Esteban Aghey, director of Legal Affairs and Compliance at the Confederation of African Football (CAF); Franciny Samba, Head of the FIFA Regional Office, William Mbiakop, founder of the African Sports & Creative Institute (ASCI) and Umubyeyi Ernestine, a Rwandan student under the Kingdom of Morocco’s academic cooperation program and participant in the “Sahraouiya” women’s sports raid held annually in Dakhla.

Discussions during the conference highlighted the strategic role of sport, particularly football, as a powerful driver of African integration, a means of bringing peoples closer together and a vehicle for promoting the values of solidarity, inclusion and South-South cooperation. Speakers also stressed the importance of public policies, institutional partnerships and investment in youth in order to make sport a sustainable vector for development and continental cohesion.

The conference was also marked by rich exchanges between students and speakers on various topics, including youth employability through careers in sport and football, mobility and training opportunities in Africa, the role of sport in social inclusion and peaceful coexistence, as well as prospects for sports cooperation and partnerships in support of African integration.

Through the “Inspire & Debate” conference series, AMCI thus reaffirms its commitment to active and solidarity-based South-South cooperation, placing youth, dialogue and the sharing of experiences at the heart of its action, in line with the Royal Vision for an emerging and sustainable Africa.

In its review following the first-round matches, the French media outlet highlights modern stadiums, the quality of the pitches, spectator access, and ticket checkpoint systems as being among the “strengths of the organization.”

“TV production at this AFCON is well established in 2025. With around thirty cameras per stadium, drones, and high-quality directing, the Africa Cup is filmed like a European Championship match,” RMC explains, stressing that the playing surfaces are among the competition’s main assets.

In a report by its correspondents on site, the channel notes that “all the pitches used have been perfect, even though torrential rains have hit Morocco since the start of the tournament. The pitches have been praised by several head coaches.”

It also emphasized the very smooth access to stadiums for spectator flows, while at external security checkpoints, “everything is running properly for an event of this scale.”

In the streets of the host cities, “coexistence among all supporters is perfect,” it continued, noting that “no tension was observed during the opening fixtures of the tournament.”

As for stadium refreshment areas, the offering remains abundant, with very affordable prices for spectators, reporters say, while also describing security across all venues as “perfect.”

In this context, RMC Sport underlines that AFCON 2025 represents a full-scale rehearsal for Morocco ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which the Kingdom will co-host.