Morocco face Afcon glory or bust moment on home soil

Moroccan soccer has never been as healthy as it currently is. From men to women and even junior levels – Morocco is a force. They are not stagnant either – they are constantly improving, as evidenced by the country’s U-20 boys team beating Argentina 2-0 to clinch the 2025 World Cup at that age level in October.

Now all eyes will fall on the men’s seniors – who are chasing just a second Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) title, and their first since 1976.

In the past two decades they have navigated past the quarterfinal stage just once. On that occasion the Atlas Lions reached the final in 2004, losing 2-1 to that tournament’s host, Tunisia.

Since then, Morocco’s journey has been littered with group stage, round of 16 and quarterfinal exits. In the 2023 edition of the biennial continental showpiece, Bafana Bafana tamed the Atlas Lions by beating them 2-0 in the round of 16.

At that time the North Africans were still roaring loudly on the back of becoming the first African country to reach the semifinals of a Fifa World Cup. They managed this historic feat at the Qatar-hosted 2022 World Cup, where they ultimately finished fourth after being felled by Croatia.

For the 2025 Afcon, the Moroccans are under immense pressure to deliver a gold medal. Anything less will be deemed a failure, especially in the context of soccer’s rapid growth in the country.

Read more: Morocco’s U-20 triumph a testament to strategic investment in soccer excellence

Being the tournament hosts compounds the pressure on the Atlas Lions. The 2023 Afcon hosts, Ivory Coast, handled the pressure of home supporters’ expectations by winning the whole thing. The Elephants towered 2-1 over Nigeria to lift the Afcon trophy for the third time in history.

Great expectations

Alongside nations such as Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal and South Africa, Ivory Coast have been backed by some to potentially win the tournament. However, the overwhelming favourites are the Atlas Lions, even though their last Afcon success came in 1976.

“It is a competition that has not brought us much success. I know how difficult it is for our country to perform in this competition,” Morocco head coach Walid Regragui told Sky Sports. “Is it mental? Is it adapting to the style of play? There have been many questions that we are trying to resolve and progress through over time in order to fix this situation.”

The last time Morocco reached an Afcon final Regragui was a player, operating in defence. So the 50-year-old is well aware of what is required to reach an Afcon final. Now he just needs to impart that knowledge to his players. How to win it will resolve itself.

“The pressure and the responsibility are enormous. It is a truly passionate country. And when we talk about passion, there are emotions that become hard to manage,” Regragui said. “The public has been waiting for so long that they cannot stop thinking about it. As a coach, you understand the responsibility. Every day, in the street, wherever we are in Morocco, there isn’t a single person who doesn’t tell me that we absolutely must win it.”

Dealing with pressure

Such high expectations, although they come from a positive place, can be the undoing of teams. The best coaches in the world know how to shield their players from the spotlight and occupy it themselves.

Great examples of this include Pep Guardiola and Pitso Mosimane, who have mastered shouldering the pressure of expectations. Regragui employs the same strategy.

“I try above all to protect the players so they do not feel it. Because if they are affected by it then it becomes even more difficult to play with freedom; that is the last thing we want,” Regragui said.

“Putting myself in the spotlight with the press is often complicated but it is one of the methods, a way of putting the focus all on me, of taking responsibility. I prefer people to criticise me rather than criticise my players. No one touches them,” he said.

Not that Moroccan’s current crop of players is not accustomed to the spotlight. Regragui’s team boasts internationally acclaimed soccer stars such as Paris Saint-Germain defender and current African Player of the Year Achraf Hakimi. Real Madrid attacker Brahim Díaz and former Sevilla goalkeeper Yassine Bounou are also part of the Atlas Lions’ pride.

Of course, as Bafana Bafana showed the Moroccans in the previous Afcon, having stars does not always equate to success on the field.

However, on home soil the Atlas Lions will be keen to change this. It would be another major milestone for Moroccan soccer if they succeed. DM