He is the darling of the public and the nightmare of opposing goalkeepers. Ayoub El Kaabi, nicknamed "El Kaabi-cyclette" for his decisive acrobatic feats, is leading Morocco’s attack in this 2025 CAN. A look back at the journey of a fighter, who went from carpentry sites to the biggest stages in Europe.
No more calculations, it’s time for the knockout stage. After a flawless group stage campaign, the Atlas Lions embark on the serious business this Sunday against Tanzania . Walid Regragui warns: "The real AFCON starts now". Here’s everything you need to know to follow the match.
This is the match of truth. This Sunday at 5pm, the Atlas Lions are playing for their future in "their" AFCON against Tanzania. Overwhelming favorites, Walid Regragui’s men know that an elimination at this stage, as in 2019 or the last edition, would be experienced as a real earthquake by an entire people who have been waiting for a title for half a century.
On the eve of the round of 16 match against Tanzania , Walid Regragui wanted to calm the ardor. While Morocco is the favorite this Sunday in Rabat, the national coach insists on humility and caution. Good news for the supporters: the infirmary is emptying, with an Achraf Hakimi "ready" and the return of Hamza Igamane.
This is an opponent that Morocco knows by heart and that it has (almost) always beaten. This Sunday in Rabat, the Atlas Lions face Tanzania in the round of 16 of the 2025 AFCON with a massive psychological advantage: in eight confrontations, they have won seven times.
It’s a small bomb in the world of regional football . The Gulf Federation is considering breaking its own traditions for the 2026 edition scheduled in Riyadh. The idea? Inviting the heavyweights of the Arab world, including Morocco, Egypt and Algeria, to transform this local tournament into a high-level competition.
Money doesn’t necessarily make results. The ranking of the highest-paid coaches at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations reveals a huge disparity: the Algerian coach, Vladimir Petkovic, receives a salary almost twice as high as that of Walid Regragui , who was nevertheless a semi-finalist in the last World Cup.
Leaders of their group, the Atlas Lions continue their quest for continental glory this Sunday in Rabat against Tanzania. But the final bracket of this CAN 2025 already outlines tantalizing prospects, with a potential explosive clash against Algeria in the semi-finals on the horizon.
The National Technical Director is taking a stand to silence the rumors. Fathi Jamal has formally denied any intervention by the Federation in Walid Regragui’s tactical choices during the match against Zambia, reaffirming the total independence of the coach.
He is no longer a mere hope, but a certainty. In the space of a few months, Neil El Aynaoui has established himself as the essential metronome of Walid Regragui’s eleven. Son of tennis legend Younès El Aynaoui, the Serie A midfielder brings the balance and discipline that the Atlas Lions were sorely lacking.
The story could have been very different for Eliesse Ben Seghir . The Moroccan international, transferred this summer to Bayer Leverkusen for 32 million euros, revealed that he burst into tears when his family prevented him from signing with Olympique de Marseille during his youth, considering the environment too risky.
The Africa Cup of Nations is in full swing in Morocco , but the atmosphere in the streets is radically different from the previous edition. Between the pressure of the result for the host country, the winter weather, and the sometimes sparse fan zones, this AFCON is distinguished by its seriousness, far from the festive exuberance of Côte d’Ivoire.