Tuesday 09 December 2025

Tuesday 09 December 2025

Morocco’s Successful AFCON 2025 Bid Attributed to HM the King’s Leadership and Continuous Backing, Says Angolan Newspaper

Luanda – The victory of the Moroccan bid to host the 35th edition of the African Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) “comes as no surprise,” as it is the natural result of His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s leadership and unwavering support for sports, along with the quality of the available infrastructure in Morocco, said Friday the Angolan major newspaper “Jornal De Angola” .

“The unceasing support of His Majesty the King and the great commitment of the leaders of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), who are always focused on success, led us to believe that the members of CAF would have no doubts, when it came to voting, in unanimously choosing the Kingdom of Morocco to organize this important continental soccer competition,” wrote the newspaper.

Under the headline “CAF chooses Morocco to organize AFCON 2025”, Jornal De Angola underscored that the quality of Morocco’s sports and hotel infrastructure convinced the leaders of the Confederation’s Executive Committee to unanimously award Morocco the organization of the 35th edition of the African Nations Championship.

The newspaper emphasizes that Morocco’s sports infrastructure was highly appreciated, even by FIFA directors, due to its quality, not to mention the excellent roads throughout the Kingdom.

Similarly, the newspaper echoed the words of FIFA President Giovanni Infantino, who hailed Morocco’s potential in the field of sports and its strong candidacy to host AFCON 2025.

“Morocco is a great country not only in football but also in the organization of major events,” he said.

In this context, the Angolan media outlet recalled that seven months ago, Morocco opened its doors to the continent as part of the Media Tour, a journalistic and tourism project that brought 162 journalists from several African countries, including Angola, to the Kingdom. The aim was to showcase the country’s ability to organize major international competitions.

The media representatives witnessed stadiums in good condition, quality hotels, modern transportation, tourism opportunities, medical facilities, and well-maintained roads that will enable supporters, tourists, and participating teams to move around seamlessly.

Noting that Morocco has several world-class stadiums to host the games of the 35th edition of the continental competition, the media reported that AFCON 2025 will be played in six Moroccan cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech, Fez, Tangier, and Agadir.

“All six stadiums have been built to modern standards and meet FIFA requirements, making them capable of hosting any type of official competition, including AFCON, World Cup, and Olympic Games,” the newspaper praised.

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 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.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF), in partnership with leading global sports brand PUMA, unveiled on Monday the Official Match Ball for the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), which will be held in Morocco in 2025.

Named ITRI, the ball draws inspiration from Morocco’s centuries-old zellij art form – renowned for its intricate geometric mosaics – whilst symbolising the unity and passion of African football across the continent, CAF said on its official website.

The name also pays tribute to the star featured on the Moroccan flag and reflects the star patterns that hold significance in traditional zellij craftsmanship, the same source added, noting that the ball will make its first appearance during the competition’s opening match on December 21, 2025.

The ball’s striking design incorporates traditional Moroccan zellij geometric patterns, characterized by central star geometry, floral petal outlines and circular symmetry, CAF explained, noting that each design element carries cultural significance.

Among other things, the star symbolizes ambition, light, and the pursuit of excellence on Africa’s biggest footballing stage, while the petals represent celebration, growth, and the festive spirit that defines the TotalEnergies CAF AFCON. The circular symmetry reflects the unity of the 24 nations coming together for the tournament.

The unique design also features ‘Flow of Movement’ patterns that capture the distinctive rhythm and dynamic playing style of African football. The ball’s red and green colour palette expresses passion, hope and pride while also paying homage to Morocco’s national identity.

The Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) announced the extension of the Media Accreditation for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 to Monday, 20 October 2025, due to a high global demand.

In a press release on its official website, CAF says it has received unprecedented interest from all over the world from media representatives, reflecting the great interest in this edition, stressing that this huge demand has necessitated an extension by CAF.

To ensure that media who are experiencing challenges either with their media applications for accreditation or to access to the media channel are attended to, CAF has also allocated additional resources and human capital.

Additionally, CAF has established a dedicated media services planning desk for all media to be based in Rabat at the Main Media Centre, noting that it is already operational at the CAF Rabat Office.

The AFCON finals will take place from December 21, 2025 to January 18, 2026. 

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided, on Thursday, to delay the opening of the first phase of ticket sales for the Morocco 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in order to finalize important details that will ensure the best possible fan experience.

“CAF is working with the Local Organizing Committee (“LOC”) and various stakeholders and will announce a new date for the first phase of the ticket sales in due course,” the African body said in a press release.

“CAF apologizes for any inconvenience caused,” the same source added.

The Moroccan national team of local players lost 1-0 to their Kenyan counterpart in the third matchday of Group A in the African Nations Championship (CHAN 2024), held this Sunday in Nairobi.

The winning goal for Kenya was scored by Rambok Ryan Wesley Ogam in the 42nd minute.

The Moroccan team, which was exempt from the second matchday, now has three points from two matches.

The other match in this group will see Zambia face Angola.

(MAP:10 August 2025)

Morocco’s national team of local players defeated Angola 2-0 in Group A’s first matchday of the African Nations Championship (CHAN-2024), played on Sunday at the Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi.

The Atlas Lions won thanks to goals from Imad Riahi (29′) and Angola’s Quinito (81′), who scored an own goal.

Following this victory, Morocco takes sits atop its group (3 points), ahead of Kenya, which defeated DR Congo 1-0 the same day at Kasarani Stadium in Nairobi, with a goal by Austin Odhiambo (45+2′).

Nineteen national teams, composed exclusively of players from African national leagues, are taking part in this 8th edition of the CHAN.

This is the first edition to be jointly organized by three East African countries: Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda.

(MAP: 03 August 2025)