By Elume Raymond
The wait is almost over. The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations gets underway on Sunday night with the hosts and tournament favorites Morocco launching their title bid against Comoros.
All eyes will be on Rabat at 20:00 local time (19:00 GMT) as the Atlas Lions open Group A, aiming to make a statement in their quest for a second AFCON crown. History, rankings and expectation are firmly on Morocco’s side, but AFCON has never been a tournament that obeys logic alone.
Morocco enter the competition ranked 11th in the world, the highest-ranked nation in Africa, while Comoros sit at 108th. The two sides have met four times before, with Morocco winning three and drawing one. Their first encounters came during qualification for the 2019 AFCON, when Morocco edged a 1–0 win at home before a 2–2 draw in Comoros. They met again at the 2021 tournament in Cameroon, where goals from Selim Amallah and Zakaria Aboukhlal secured a 2–0 group-stage victory for Morocco in Yaoundé.
This will be Morocco’s 20th appearance at AFCON finals and their fifth consecutive tournament, a run stretching back to 2017. For Comoros, the occasion carries a different weight: this is just their second AFCON appearance, following their remarkable debut in 2021.
It is also the second time Comoros have faced a host nation at the tournament and for the second AFCON match in a row. Their only previous encounter with a host ended in a narrow 2–1 defeat to Cameroon in the round of 16 in 2022. When the two sides were drawn together at that edition, both progressed from Group C, with Morocco finishing top and Comoros advancing as one of the best third-placed teams.
History strongly favors the hosts. There have been 19 host-nation victories in AFCON opening matches, and Morocco will be hoping to make it 20. Hosts or co-hosts have reached the knockout stages in 14 of the last 15 tournaments, with Gabon in 2017 the lone exception. Côte d’Ivoire’s triumph at the most recent edition further underlined the advantage, becoming the first hosts to lift the trophy since Egypt in 2006.
Even more striking is the opening-night record. Hosts are unbeaten in their first match in the last 15 AFCON editions, a run that stretches back to Burkina Faso’s 1–0 defeat to Cameroon in 1998 the last time a host lost their opener. In the 21st century, host nations have recorded nine wins and six draws in their opening fixtures.
Recent history reinforces the trend: Egypt beat Zimbabwe in 2019, Cameroon overcame Burkina Faso in 2021, and Côte d’Ivoire defeated Guinea-Bissau in 2023. Only once has a host lost their opening match and gone on to win the tournament Egypt in 1986.
The opening fixture has produced drama over the years, from Angola’s astonishing 4–4 draw with Mali in 2010 after leading by four goals, to Algeria’s 5–1 demolition of Nigeria in 1990, still the biggest opening-match win by a host.
For Morocco, the numbers, the crowd and the occasion all point in the same direction. For Comoros, AFCON has already proven that belief and organization can bridge gaps in pedigree.
The tournament begins with a familiar promise: history favors the hosts but AFCON always leaves room for the unexpected.
Match Preview
Morocco are hosting the Africa Cup of Nations for the first time since 1988, and everything about their recent form suggests they are ready to make the most of home advantage. The Atlas Lions cruised through qualification with a perfect record (six wins from six) and arrive in the tournament widely tipped as potential champions.
Their rise has been one of the defining stories of modern African football. Morocco’s historic run to the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup announced them on the global stage, and they have scarcely looked back since. Unbeaten since August (16 wins and one draw), that sequence culminated in lifting the Arab Cup earlier this week. Even more remarkable is their fortress-like record at home: Morocco have not lost a competitive international on home soil since 2009.
And yet, history offers a note of caution. Despite their stature, Morocco have won AFCON just once, in 1976. Prior to Côte d’Ivoire’s triumph at the last edition, no host or co-host had even reached the final since Egypt in 2006 a statistic that lingered over previous tournaments. Morocco’s recent AFCON record reflects that tension between promise and frustration: two quarter-final exits in 2017 and 2021, four group-stage eliminations, and a shock round-of-16 defeat to South Africa at the 2023 finals.
Even without a fully fit Achraf Hakimi, the hosts will step onto the pitch on Sunday confident of avoiding an early stumble, though wary of the dangers that AFCON opening nights can bring.
Comoros, by contrast, arrive with little pressure and plenty of belief. This is only their second AFCON appearance, following a surprise run to the round of 16 on debut in 2021. Expectations are modest after a difficult Arab Cup in Qatar, where they lost all three group matches, and a run of six competitive games without a win inside 90 minutes.
Yet to dismiss the Coelacanths would be a mistake. Their most recent competitive away victory came in Morocco, where they defeated the Central African Republic in World Cup qualifying last September. After narrowly missing out on AFCON 2023 in a brutal group that included Zambia and hosts Ivory Coast still finishing with a respectable seven points Comoros ensured there would be no such disappointment this time.
Under Stefano Cusin, they topped their qualifying section without defeat, recording three wins and three draws. The standout moment came in Tunis, where they beat Tunisia before earning a 1–1 draw in the return fixture results that ultimately cost the 2004 champions their coach, Faouzi Benzarti.
Clean sheets have been scarce, but Comoros’ collective strength and tactical cohesion have grown steadily. Despite their 108th-place world ranking, they have emerged as one of Africa’s most dangerous counter-attacking sides, winning five World Cup qualifiers, including another eye-catching victory over Ghana.
AFCON has long been a tournament where reputations can crumble and underdogs can thrive. Comoros know this better than most and as they prepare to face Morocco, memories of a 2–2 draw in AFCON 2019 qualifying will fuel their belief that another shock may yet be possible.
Head-to-Head History
Morocco are unbeaten across all four previous meetings (W3, D1), including an AFCON group stage encounter in January 2022 (W 2-0).
Morocco form (all competitions):
W W W W W W
Comoros form (all competitions):
L W L L W W
Team News
Morocco arrive with strength in depth and tournament-hardened experience, although there remains a degree of uncertainty around Achraf Hakimi. The captain has been named in the squad as he continues his recovery from a serious knee injury, and head coach Walid Regragui has repeatedly underlined the importance of Hakimi’s leadership even if he doesn’t figure. Late fitness calls are also expected on Sofyan Amrabat and Hamza Igmane, but Morocco still possess ample quality across the pitch.
Tactically, Regragui is expected to stick with his trusted 4-3-3 system. Within that framework, Morocco will likely look to dominate possession, circulating the ball patiently through midfield before increasing the tempo in the final third. The full-backs are expected to push high and wide to stretch Comoros across the pitch, creating space centrally for Brahim Díaz to drift inside and link play between the lines. Without the ball, Morocco are typically aggressive, pressing immediately after losing possession in an effort to sustain attacks and keep opponents hemmed deep in their own half.
Comoros, meanwhile, appear to have a clean bill of health, giving Stefano Cusin the luxury of selecting from a fully fit squad. The head coach has shown a clear preference for continuity, largely retaining the core group that guided the Coelacanths through qualification. The squad has been strengthened by the additions of Zaid Amir and Yannis Kari, both of whom caught the eye at the Arab Cup, while experienced leaders Youssouf M’Changama and Yacine Bourhane remain central to Comoros’ identity.
Cusin is expected to set his side up in a 3-4-1-2. In possession, Comoros are likely to play with purpose and directness, seeking early forward passes and quick transitions to bypass Morocco’s midfield press. The wing-backs will be crucial outlets on the counter, while M’Changama’s quality from set pieces represents one of their most dangerous attacking threats. Out of possession, Comoros are expected to retreat into a compact low block, prioritizing central solidity and attempting to frustrate the hosts for as long as possible.
Possible starting line-ups
Morocco:
Bono; Mazraoui, Aguerd, El Yamiq, Salah-Eddine; Ounahi, El Aynaoui, Saibari; Díaz, En-Nesyri, Ezzalzouli
Comoros:
Anzimati-Aboudou; B. Youssouf, M’Dahoma, Soilihi, Toibibou, Boura; M’Changama, Z. Youssouf, Bourhane; Said, Selemani
Hot stats and streaks
- Oussama Tannane arrives in form for Morocco, having opened the scoring from inside his own half against Jordan on Thursday a match the Atlas Lions won 3–2 after extra time before providing two assists in a recent 3–1 victory over Comoros earlier this month.
- Housseine Zakouani has been one of Comoros’ brightest attacking sparks, registering four goal contributions in his last six appearances for club and country (two goals, two assists).
- Morocco have turned home soil into a fortress, winning their last eight matches at home without conceding a single goal.
- Comoros, by contrast, have conceded first in each of their last six away fixtures, often finding themselves chasing games early.
- Morocco’s AFCON opening-match record reads 19 played, six wins, nine draws and four defeats, with momentum firmly on their side in recent editions.
- Of the four goals Comoros have scored at AFCON finals, three have come after half-time, suggesting they tend to grow into matches.
- Morocco have won their opening match at the last three AFCON tournaments in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
- Comoros were beaten 1–0 by Gabon in their opening game at their AFCON debut in 2021.
- Defensive solidity has been a hallmark of Morocco’s starts to tournaments: they have kept clean sheets in their opening match at each of the last five AFCON editions.
- Comoros are still searching for their first AFCON shutout, having conceded seven goals across four finals matches.
- Morocco also carry a strong group-stage record, remaining unbeaten in their last 11 AFCON group games (nine wins, two draws).