Will Afcon 2025 be a defining moment for Morocco?

Morocco will host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, aiming to be the first African nation to hold a championship game.

The Atlas Lions haven’t much attempted to replicate the feat since 1976 when they lifted the Afcon trophy in Ethiopia. It takes a long time, which is in stark contrast to recent accomplishments elsewhere.

Sofyan Amrabat, a Moroccan midfielder, told the BBC World Service, “Every time I put on the Moroccan jersey, it’s like an amazing feeling.”

The Morocco team, which became the first African nation to reach that stage of the tournament, reached the semi-finals of the previous Fifa World Cup in Qatar, where the former Manchester United player was key.

It’s challenging to explain, he said. The 29-year-old said about representing his country, “It’s something you feel inside of your heart.”

“This Afcon is really a great one, especially given that it’s at home. And of course, we sincerely hope it will be ours.

The expectations are clear for Moroccan football analyst Jalal Bounouar.

He told BBC Sport Africa, “Morocco’s main and most immediate goal is to win the Afcon.”

The piece that completes the puzzle is “being awarded the continental title.”

The men’s under-23s won bronze at the Paris 2024 Olympics after losing to Argentina in the final of the tournament in October, and the men’s under-20s are world champions after winning the semi-final against France in Qatar 2022.

Morocco have also triumphed in the last three African Nations Championships (2018, 2020, and 2024), an international competition for players who only play in domestic leagues. In the Fifa Arab Cup final against Jordan this week, that team also triumphed.

Unsurprisingly, these accomplishments have raised expectations, according to Bounouar.

Can you picture the Africa Cup of Nations being won by us since 1976, in your opinion? he stated.

Morocco has made significant investments, particularly in football infrastructure, including two of Africa’s most advanced facilities, both of which bear King Mohammed’s name.

The Mohammed VI Football Academy and Mohammed VI Training Complex jointly house both the men’s and women’s youth and senior national teams by combining elite training with education, lodging, and sports science.

Bounouar remarked, “This Moroccan football evolution is not a random achievement.

It was the result of “a long-term national project supported by the highest levels of Moroccan authorities” and years of strategic planning.

King Mohammed first discussed his strategy for social and economic development in football in 2008, before launching the academy in 2009 and the $65 million (£48.5 million) training complex in 2019.

According to Bounouar, “the goal was to provide young talents with modern facilities, good coaches, a good education, and a healthy environment.”

With an increasing number of players competing at top European clubs, this structure has helped to maintain a steady pipeline for both domestic clubs and the national team.

Sulaiman Adebayo, a photojournalist from Nigeria who has frequently traveled to Morocco, acknowledges that the rising popularity of the country’s football team is not a coincidence.

He said, “Everything they’ve done over the past four to five years has been carefully thought out in terms of building facilities and improving their football.”

They are “strategically and purposefully,” and it shows.

Fans have praised Morocco’s national teams’ better performances, but in recent years the size of the investment has been subjected to greater scrutiny.

As Morocco continues to invest heavily in new facilities ahead of hosting the 2030 World Cup alongside Spain and Portugal, the country’s younger generation has called for “hospitals not stadiums” during this year’s so-called Gen Z protests.

According to Bounouar, “there are various opinions.”

“Football is viewed by the majority of Moroccans as a significant national project with benefits beyond the field.

Most people believe that winning a game of football will unite a diverse population and help Morocco’s reputation be raised abroad in the same way that it does tourism.

Participation at the grassroots level has increased, according to Fifa and the Moroccan FA statistics.

More children playing outside of school, according to Bounouar, has become “even more embedded in daily life,” according to Bounouar, with both boys and girls having a greater social acceptance of girls playing football as a first step in King Mohammed’s plan.

Morocco are the clear favorites heading into the national championship match.

The Atlas Lions have scored 50 goals and conceded just four goals in 20 months, which is a world record for international football, which dates back to March 2024. However, the caliber of their opposition has to be taken into account.

Amrabat anticipates that home advantage will play a role, like many others.

Our stadiums are magnificent and have excellent pitches. He predicted a pleasant weather because Morocco is currently not very hot.

The fans can push us a lot when they are behind us. We require this drive to enter, press, and display this intensity.

Morocco’s top goalkeeper, Yassine Bounou, Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz, and Paris St-Germain’s Achraf Hakimi, who was recently named Africa’s player of the year, are among Morocco’s best.

Hakimi is the team’s captain and undeniable star, and his name appears on shirts all over Morocco, but his participation is still questioned due to an ankle injury sustained during a Champions League game against Bayern Munich in November.

Manager Walid Regragui recently said, “We will do everything for him to be 100%.”

He will remain with us no matter what, though, if he isn’t.

“He’s the most crucial player for us, whether he’s on the field or in the locker room.”

On Sunday (GMT), Morocco will begin their offensive against the Comoros.

Even though that is Morocco’s first game of the tournament, the journey has already begun.

Amrabat remarked, “This is our moment.” I think it’s necessary right away, especially at home.