The numbers are aligning for the Atlas Lions. Just days before kickoff, Opta’s artificial intelligence reveals its verdict and places the Kingdom on the top step of the podium. With nearly one in five chances of lifting the trophy at home, Morocco outpaces Egypt and Senegal in the race for the title.
The party will be great, but it will be strictly supervised. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the organizing committee have decided: twenty categories of objects are now formally prohibited in sports venues. From sound instruments to snacks, supporters will have to travel light, otherwise they will be denied entry.
The deadline is approaching and the tension is rising a notch. A few days before the kick-off of the Africa Cup of Nations (December 21 - January 18), Morocco finds itself facing an absolute obligation to deliver results. For the Atlas Lions , the stakes go beyond the simple sporting framework: it is a matter of validating an expensive national strategy and meeting the expectations of 37 million supporters.
It is a natural selection by money that is announced in the United States . The prices to follow the Atlas Lions during the next World Cup have just been released and the bill is exorbitant. For the expected clash against Brazil, prices are soaring, causing the anger of fans who feel excluded from the party.
Transferred to Stuttgart after a turbulent summer, Bilal El Khannouss displays his ambitions: to break everything in the Bundesliga and win the 2025 AFCON at home. The Moroccan attacking midfielder is turning the page on Leicester and statistical doubts to establish himself as a technical leader, ready to assume the pressure of a nation awaiting glory.
"I put that aside and move forward." Souffian El Karouani has chosen resilience over bitterness to digest his non-selection for the Africa Cup of Nations. The defender refuses the status of victim and assures that his mental recovery will be rapid, preferring to let his performances on the field speak for him in the future.
LOSC has imposed a strict omerta on the international future of its prodigy. While the behind-the-scenes battle rages between France and Morocco to secure the services of Ayyoub Bouaddi , the northern club has formally prohibited any questions on the subject to "protect" its player. A defensive strategy that contrasts with the stated ambition of the midfielder: to play in the next World Cup.
Walid Regragui has defined his strategy for the home tournament: a group of 26 players, two reserves and an assumed risk on the health status of certain elements. The coach, who has broken with the tradition of the announcement press conference, is betting on the stability of an undefeated group for nearly two years to win the title that has eluded Morocco for half a century.
Morocco will host Africa without its new global heroes. Walid Regragui made a decisive move on Thursday by excluding the junior world champions from his final list , preferring to rely on the backbone of the Qatar squad to challenge the Comoros, Mali and Zambia at home.
Morocco now knows its soldiers for the continental reconquest on its home soil. Walid Regragui has unveiled a final list marked by the resounding absence of Hakim Ziyech , the coach preferring to bet on the explosive dynamics of Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi to win the trophy.
Nicolas Pépé’s joke about the history of Moroccan football is not going over well. The Ivorian striker had to issue a public apology after dating the sole triumph of the Atlas Lions to "1818", a mockery that inflamed social media as the AFCON approaches.
The Atlas Lions do not want to arrive unarmed against Brazil. To prepare for this top-level duel, the Federation is negotiating behind the scenes a friendly match against Ecuador as early as March, a dress rehearsal confirmed by the opposing coach who considers the agreement imminent.