Marrakech – The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) is right around the corner. The competition will kick off on Sunday, December 21, with hosts Morocco facing Comoros in the opening match.
Here is MWN’s guide to the Atlas Lions’ group.
Morocco (Pot 1, host)
The Atlas Lions are entering this year’s AFCON as the favorites to win it all. According to Opta’s predictions, Walid Regragui’s side has a 19.1% chance of succeeding reigning champions Ivory Coast, the highest figure of the 24 participating nations, ahead of Egypt (12.4%), Senegal (12.3%), and Algeria (12%).
Historically, Morocco have underwhelmed on the African stage. The Atlas Lions’ lone AFCON victory came in 1976, nearly half a century ago. Morocco’s best performance since has been a second-place finish in 2004, after a 2-1 final loss to hosts Tunisia.
Morocco’s last AFCON campaign, in 2023 in the Ivory Coast, ended in a Round of 16 upset with a 2-0 defeat to South Africa.
The Atlas Lions will hope to put their history behind and make the most out of this tournament. Regragui’s team is in blazing form, with an international football record 18-game-winning streak.
Players to Watch
Achraf Hakimi (Right-back, Paris Saint-Germain)
Despite the uncertainty surrounding his fitness, it is nearly impossible to talk about Morocco’s chances at AFCON without mentioning Achraf Hakimi. The reigning African player of the year is the cornerstone of Regragui’s project.
If available, the PSG star, through his pace and unrelenting energy on the right flank, has the potential to be a difference maker for the Atlas Lions on either half of the pitch.
As he continues rehabilitating his ankle injury, no one will look forward to having Hakimi back in the squad more than Regragui himself.
Azzedine Ounahi (Central Midfielder, Girona FC)
Ounahi rose to prominence within the national team when he scored a brace against Congo DR in a decisive qualifier to send Morocco to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. Ever since, the Casablanca-born midfielder has been a mainstay in Morocco’s starting eleven. First with Vahid Halilhodžić, then with Regragui, Ounahi has routinely delivered solid performances, even in periods of club incertitude.
Now shining in LaLiga for Girona, playing some of the best football of his career, the timing couldn’t be better for the now 25-year-old midfield metronome to deliver another high-level international tournament performance.
Nayef Aguerd (Center-back, Olympique de Marseille)
With Hakimi’s fitness raising questions and a lack of a clear hierarchy in other defensive positions, Aguerd is currently Regragui’s only indisputable choice in the Moroccan backline.
Freshly recovered from a pubalgia that hampered him throughout most of November, Aguerd has re-claimed his starting spot in Roberto de Zerbi’s team, providing the usual poise, calm, and assurance that make him so valuable for club and country.
Mali (Pot 2)
Mali will open their tournament on December 22 against Zambia at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, before taking on Morocco on the 26th and Comoros three days later.
Currently ranked 54th on the FIFA Men’s rankings, Les Aigles (The Eagles) are the group’s other favorite. They are the most likely to join Morocco in clinching a direct qualifying spot to the Round of 16. In fact, Opta has ranked Tom Saintfiet’s squad as having the eighth-highest chance (6.4%) of taking home the trophy.
Mali’s last AFCON run ended in dramatic fashion, conceding a 122nd-minute winner to eventual champions Ivory Coast in one of the most memorable knockout matches in the history of the competition.
Les Aigles have never won the continental trophy. Their best-ever result is a final appearance in their debut competition, in 1972. Since then, they have made it to the semi-finals on five occasions: 1994, 2002, 2004, 2012, and 2013.
Players to Watch
Yves Bissouma (Defensive Midfielder, Tottenham Hotspur FC)
Amidst a new manager appointment, an ankle surgery, and personal issues, Yves Bissouma, a pivotal figure for Tottenham under previous manager Ange Postecoglou, has not at all featured for the North London side in competitive matches this season.
Nevertheless, Bissouma remains one of Mali’s biggest stars. Thanks to his technical prowess, versatility, and physical presence in the middle of the park, the midfielder is a key piece to Saintfiet’s 4-2-3-1 puzzle.
Bissouma’s fitness, similar to Hakimi’s, is uncertain heading into the tournament, but Mali will hope their 29-year-old midfield star is ready to suit up on December 22.
Dorgeles Nene (Winger, Fenerbahce SK)
After an €18 million summer transfer from RB Salzburg to the Turkish Super Lig, Nene has hit the ground running for Fenerbahce, solidifying himself as a reliable attacking option for manager Dominico Tedesco.
Nene isn’t your typical skillful, tricky, and evasive wide player, but what he lacks in flair, the 22-year-old makes up for in energy and feel for danger. In 1080 minutes of game time for the Turkish side this season, Nene has registered six goal involvements: two goals and four assists.
Mostly deployed on the right side by Tedesco, Nene is capable of playing on the left flank as well, and is expected to start there for Mali during the tournament.
Zambia (Pot 3)
The Chipolopolo made history in 2012 when, led by Herve Renard, they chained one upset after another en route to winning its only AFCON in history after a nail-biting 8-7 penalty shootout win against Ivory Coast.
Since then, however, the story has changed for the Chipolopolo. That memorable February 12, 2012 evening at Stade d’Angondjé in Libreville, Gabon, marks the last time the Zambian national team won a match at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Zambia crashed out of the group stage in the two following tournaments in 2013 and 2015. Then, the Chipolopolo failed to even qualify for three consecutive editions: 2017, 2019, and 2021.
The Zambians made their return to AFCON in 2023, in Ivory Coast. But they again failed to qualify to the knockout stage, drawing their first two matches to DR Congo and Tanzania before falling to Morocco in their last group stage match 1-0.
Led by newly appointed manager Moses Sichone, Zambia will hope to renew their ties with victory when they open their tournament on December 22 against Mali.
The Opta supercomputer predicts a 21.3% chance of Zambia clinching a quarter-finals berth, and a feeble 1% chance of taking home the trophy.
Players to Watch
Patson Daka (Center-Forward, Leicester City FC)
Playing for The Foxes since the 2021-2022 season, Patson Daka has accumulated heaps of experience playing both in the Premier League and in the EFL Championship.
For the Zambia senior squad, Daka has accumulated an impressive 20 goals in 42 appearances.
At AFCON, except the Chingola native to spearhead the Chipolopolo’s frontline.
Fashion Sakala (Forward, Al-Fayha Club)
A center-forward by trade but versatile enough to operate on either flank of the attack, Sakala is expected to play a big role for the Zambian team at AFCON.
In his ongoing season with Saudi Pro League side Al-Fayha, the forward has contributed two goals and two assists in nine appearances for the Al-Majmaah side.
Expect Sakala to start on the left for Zambia at AFCON, with Serie A side Lecce’s Lameck Banda completing the attacking trident.
Comoros (Pot 4)
Just earlier this month, Comoros faced Morocco’s A’ team in their FIFA Arab Cup opener. The match resulted in a 3-1 defeat for Les Coelacantes. Stefano Cusin will hope his team causes the Atlas Lions more problems on December 21.
This is only Comoros’ second ever qualification to AFCON. Les Coelacantes achieved a historic first qualification in 2021, and even made a Round of 16 appearance in their debut tournament.
After failing to qualify for the 2023 Ivory Coast tournament, Comoros are back in the mix this time after an undefeated run in Group A of the AFCON qualifiers, topping their group ahead of Tunisia, Gambia, and Madagascar.
Key Players
Rafiki Said (Winger, Standard de Liege)
At 25 years old, Said is already Comoros’ third all-time leading goalscorer, with eight goals in 17 appearances for the national team.
The winger is a crafty dribbler who never shies away from the opportunity to take on opposing fullbacks. In this current Belgian Pro League campaign, he has registered five goal contributions in 17 appearances, playing mostly on the left side of the attack.
Zaidou Youssouf (Defensive/Central Midfielder, Al-Fateh SC)
The Al-Fateh player is a mainstay in the Comoros side, anchoring the Comorian midfield providing both defensive stability and clever positioning.
Youssouf has featured in the starting eleven in every Comoros match this year, and this trend is expected to continue on Sunday night at the Complexe Sportif Moulay Abdellah.
