Morocco Knocked Out of 2023 AFCON

“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.

The fixture is scheduled for Sunday, January 4th at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat

Tanzania qualified as best third-placed team from Group C with two draws and one loss, a total of 2 points.

In turn, Morocco advanced top of Group A with 7 points, following two wins against Comoros (2-0) and Zambia (3-0), and a tie with Mali (1-1).

The Belgian French-speaking public broadcaster ‘RTBF’ referred to a “landmark victory,” noting that Morocco “crushed Zambia and advanced to the AFCON Round of 16.”

“Despite being under pressure,” the host country “did not falter for a second” on Monday night and managed to win by a large margin to finish at the top of its group and approach the rest of the competition “with much more confidence,” said the public broadcaster.

According to ‘RTBF’, “without exerting themselves, completely suffocating a helpless opponent,” the Atlas Lions have “built up their confidence at the best possible moment,” on the eve of the knockout stage.

For its part, ‘Sporza’, the sports website of the Flemish public broadcaster ‘VRT’, highlighted Morocco’s collective and attacking performance, secured by goals from El Kaabi, who scored twice, and Brahim Díaz. The Dutch-speaking media said that the Moroccans “convinced and impressed” during this final matchday, firmly securing their top spot in Group A.

The daily ‘DH Les Sports’ stressed that Morocco “qualified without trembling against Zambia,” recalling that, under pressure in front of their home crowd, the favorite of AFCON 2025 lived up to expectations by outclassing their opponent to secure their ticket to the Round of 16.

‘Le Soir’ highlighted the expected reaction from the Atlas Lions after the draw against Mali, noting that the match was decided in the first half with two goals scored in less than thirty minutes.

‘Voetbalnieuws’ pointed out that all eyes were on Morocco, the host nation and top favorite of the 35th edition, on Monday night. The Dutch-speaking sports site highlighted the convincing victory over Zambia, notably marked by El Kaabi’s brace, including a “legendary goal” scored with an acrobatic bicycle kick.

Finally, ‘Walfoot’ said that Morocco bounced back well after the draw against Mali, earning seven points out of nine in the group stage to finish first in their group with a clear lead. According to the Belgian site, this performance confirms the Atlas Lions’ status as strong favorites in this AFCON.

The Atlas Lions’ goal was scored by Brahim Diaz from the penalty spot in stoppage time of the first half (45’ +5). From the same spot, Lassine Sinayoko equalized for Mali in the 64th minute of play.

The draw allows the Atlas Lions to remain top of their group with four points, followed by Zambia and Mali with two points each, while Comoros sit bottom with one point.

In the third and final round, Walid Regragui’s men will face Zambia’s Chipolopolo on Monday (8:00 p.m. local time) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, with a place in the round of 16 at stake.

Ayoub El Kaabi opened the scoring for the Atlas Lions in the 9th minute of play, before Brahim Diaz doubled the lead (27′). El Kaabi made it three, scoring with another acrobatic overhead kick.

Thanks to this victory, Morocco finishes the group stage at the top of the table with 7 points.

El Kaabi and Diaz join Riyad Mahrez at the lead of the temporary scoring charts with three goals each.

On the first and second matchdays, Walid Regragui’s men beat Comoros 2-0 before drawing 1-1 with Mali.