Sunday 01 June 2025

Sunday 01 June 2025

2023 AFCON: ‘Playing as One of the Favorites Is an Asset’, Morocco’s Head Coach

Salé – Morocco’s head coach, Walid Regragui, said that the country’s football team will have the advantage of playing the final phase of the Africa Cup of Nations (2023 AFCON) in Côte d’Ivoire as one of the favorites, underlining that the Atlas Lions have all the assets to have a good tournament.

“Being underdogs at the World Cup and favorites at the AFCON is an asset. We’ve acquired a new status not only in Africa but also at world level, with a position in the Top 15,” said Walid Regragui, at a press conference held at the Mohammed VI football complex in Salé to present the twenty-seven players selected.

According to him, “the players have to adapt to this new status. It’s always nice to be a team that is feared, and it’s a status we need to get used to, as we aim to become a nation that ranks among the favorites.”

“We have a well-balanced group made up of experienced players and talented youngsters whom we are also preparing for the future of the national team,” he pointed out.

The national team has been drawn in Group F alongside DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania, following the draw for the group phase of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Atlas Lions will play their group-stage matches in the town of San Pedro. They will face Tanzania in their first match.

MAP

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Morocco’s U17 national football team will play two international friendlies next month as part of its preparations for the FIFA U17 World Cup, scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 3 to 27.

The team will take on Canada on June 3 at 16:00 local time, followed by a match against Japan on June 6 at 12:30. Both fixtures will be held in the Spanish city of Alicante, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced on Wednesday.

The friendlies form part of the national squad’s build-up to the tournament, where Morocco has been drawn in Group B alongside Japan, New Caledonia, and Portugal.

Morocco’s national head coach Walid Regragui unveiled on Tuesday the 27-player squad selected for the upcoming friendly fixtures against Tunisia and Benin, scheduled for June 6 and 9 at the Fez Sports Complex.

Kick-off for both games is set for 9:00 p.m. (GMT+1).


The list of the selected players is the following:

– Goalkeepers:

Munir El Kajoui (RS Berkane), Yassine Bounou (Al Hilal FC, Saudi Arabia), El Mehdi Benabid (Wydad Casablanca).


– Defenders:

Achraf Hakimi (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Omar El Hilali (Espanyol Barcelona, Spain), Abdelkabir Abqar (Deportivo Alavés, Spain), Abdelhak Assal (RS Berkane), Jawad El Yamiq (Al Wehda FC, Saudi Arabia), Oussama El Azzouzi (Bologna FC, Italy), Adam Massina (Torino FC, Italy), Zakaria El Ouahdi (KRC Genk, Belgium), and Youssef Belaamri (Raja Casablanca).


– Midfielders:

Azzeddine Ounahi (Panathinaikos, Greece), Bilal El Khannous (Leicester City, England), Sofyan Amrabat (Fenerbahçe, Turkey), Oussama Targhalline (Feyenoord Rotterdam, Netherlands), Amir Richardson (Fiorentina, Italy), and Ismail Saibari (PSV Eindhoven, Netherlands)


– Forwards:

Brahim Diaz (Real Madrid, Spain), Eliesse Ben Seghir (AS Monaco, France), Soufiane Rahimi (Al Ain, UAE), Maroan Sanadi (Athletic Bilbao, Spain), Ayoub El Kaabi (Olympiacos, Greece), Youssef En-Nesyri (Fenerbahçe, Turkey), Hamza Igamane (Glasgow Rangers, Scotland), Oussama Sahraoui (Lille, France) and Abdessamad Ezzalzouli (Real Betis, Spain).

Morocco’s U-20 national team fell 1–0 to South Africa in the AFCON final on Sunday in Cairo, with Gomolemo Kekana netting the lone goal in the 70th minute.

Third place went to the Nigerian team, which beat its Egyptian counterpart 4–1 in a penalty shootout (1–1 at the end of regulation time).

All four semifinalists have qualified for the final phase of the U20 World Cup, which will take place in Chile from September 27 to October 19.

The Moroccan U-20 football team has qualified for the final of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) by defeating Egypt 1-0 on Thursday at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo.

Morocco’s winning goal was scored by Jones El-Abdellaoui in the 77th minute.

Mohamed Ouahbi’s men will face the South African team in the final, after the latter secured a 1-0 victory over Nigeria in Ismailia, with Tylon Christopher Smith scoring the decisive goal in the 66th minute.

All four semifinalists have qualified for the U20 World Cup, which will take place from September 27 to October 19 in Chile.

Morocco’s U-20 football team qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations semi-finals after beating their Sierra Leone counterparts 1-0 Monday at the 30 June Stadium in Cairo. 

The victory secured Morocco a spot in the upcoming U-20 World Cup in Chile. The winning goal was scored in extra time (regulation time 0-0) when Amara Keita put the ball into his own net (115th).

For a place in the final, the Atlas Cubs will face the winner of the quarter-final between Egypt and Ghana.

The Moroccan national under-20 football team qualified for the quarter-finals of the Africa U-20 Cup of Nations (AFCON U20), after defeating their Tunisian counterparts 3-1 on Wednesday in Ismailia (northeastern Egypt), in the third and final match of Group B.

Morocco’s goals were scored by Ayman Arguige (44th minute), Ismail Bakhty (86th), and Jones El Abdellaoui (90+2), while Tunisia’s lone goal came from Anis Doubal (53rd).

With this victory, Morocco tops its group with 7 points and will play the quarter-finals next Monday in Cairo against the runner-up of Group A.