2025 AFCON: Morocco vs Comoros preview
Hosts Morocco and Comoros will meet in the opening game of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 on Sunday (20h00 local time / 19h00 GMT), their second clash at the continental finals.
Morocco are ranked 11th in the world, the highest-ranked African nation, while Comoros are ranked 108th.
The sides have met four times previously, with Morocco winning three matches and one ending in a draw.
Their first meetings came during 2019 AFCON qualifying. The first Group C clash, with Morocco as hosts, ended in a 1–0 win on 13 October 2018, while the return match in Comoros on 16 October 2018 ended in a 2–2 draw. Morocco progressed as group winners, alongside Cameroon, to Egypt 2019.
The nations also clashed at the group stage of the 2021 edition.
When they met on 14 January 2022 at the 2021 AFCON, Morocco won their Group C encounter 2–0 in Yaoundé, with Selim Amallah scoring in the 16th minute and Zakaria Aboukhlal adding a second in the 83rd minute.
Morocco are beginning their 20th AFCON finals appearance and their fifth in a row, a run that began in 2017.
Comoros are appearing for only the second time, having made their tournament debut at the 2021 edition in Cameroon.
Comoros are facing a tournament host for the second time and will be playing hosts in successive AFCON matches.
Their only previous match against a host nation ended in a 2–1 defeat to Cameroon on 24 January 2022 in the Round of 16 at the 2021 edition.
When the nations were drawn together at the 2021 edition, both progressed from Group C to the Round of 16, with Morocco finishing as group winners and Comoros advancing as one of the best third-placed teams. Gabon finished second, while Ghana ended fourth.
This will be the 35th opening match at an AFCON finals.
Of the previous 34 opening matches, just one has ended 0–0 — South Africa versus Cabo Verde in 2013.
Hosts or co-hosts have reached the knockout stages in 14 of the last 15 AFCON editions, the exception being Gabon in 2017. Côte d’Ivoire at the last edition became the first hosts to win the title since Egypt in 2006.
Hosts or co-hosts are undefeated in their opening match in the last 15 editions.
The last host nation to lose their opening match was Burkina Faso in 1998, when they were beaten 1–0 by Cameroon.
In the 21st century, no host or co-host has lost their opening match, recording nine wins and six draws.
The last three AFCON hosts have all won their opening games: Egypt beat Zimbabwe 1–0 in 2019, Cameroon defeated Burkina Faso 2–1 at the 2021 edition, and Côte d’Ivoire won 2–0 against Guinea-Bissau at the 2023 edition.
Before Egypt’s win over Zimbabwe in 2019, the previous three AFCON hosts had failed to win their opening matches — South Africa drew with Cabo Verde in 2013, while Equatorial Guinea and Gabon drew with Congo and Guinea-Bissau in 2015 and 2017 respectively.
The first ever AFCON host to lose their opening match was Sudan, who lost 2–1 to Egypt in the 1957 semi-finals.
AFCON hosts have lost their opening match on five occasions: Sudan in 1957, Egypt in 1986, Senegal in 1992, Tunisia in 1994, and Burkina Faso in 1998, the most recent occurrence.
Since Burkina Faso’s loss in 1998, host nations’ records in opening matches read P15 W9 D6 L0.
Egypt are the only AFCON hosts to lose their opening match and go on to win the title, achieving this in 1986 after a 1–0 defeat to Senegal.
The only time an AFCON host played to a goalless draw in their opening match was when South Africa were held 0–0 by Cabo Verde in 2013.
The highest-scoring AFCON opening match involving a host nation came in 2010, when Angola surrendered a 4–0 lead to draw 4–4 with Mali.
Angola in 2010 are the only AFCON hosts to have scored more than two goals in an opening match and failed to win.
Algeria’s 5–1 victory over Nigeria in 1990 remains the biggest opening-match win by an AFCON host nation.
Between 1965 and 1980, every AFCON host won their opening match — a run of eight successive tournaments.
Between 1957 and 1984, AFCON hosts avoided defeat in their opening match in 13 tournaments in a row (W11 D2), until Egypt lost to Senegal in 1986.
Head-to-Head Overall
- Morocco: P4 W3 D1 L0 GF8 GA3 GD+5
- Comoros: P4 W0 D1 L3 GF3 GA8 GD−5
Head-to-Head AFCON
- Morocco: P1 W1 D0 L0 GF2 GA0 GD+2
- Comoros: P1 W0 D0 L1 GF0 GA2 GD−2
Past AFCON Meeting
- 2021 AFCON, Group C, 14 January 2022
Morocco 2 (Amallah 16’, Aboukhlal 88’) Comoros 0 - Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, Yaoundé, Cameroon
Morocco – Key Statistics
- · Begin their 20th AFCON finals appearance and host the tournament for the second time, having finished third as hosts in 1988.
- · Their opening match in 1988 ended in a 1–1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- · Abdelkrim Merry scored a 43rd-minute penalty in that match before Vita Lutonadio equalised in the 88th minute.
- · Winners in 1976, runners-up in 2004, and third-place finishers in 1980.
- · Have qualified for five successive AFCON tournaments for the second time, having previously achieved six in a row between 1998 and 2008.
- · Their opening-match record stands at P19 W6 D9 L4.
- · Have won their opening match at each of the last three editions: 2019, 2021 and 2023.
- · Failed to win their opening match at their first eight AFCON appearances (D7 L1).
- · Their biggest opening-match win was a 5–1 victory over Namibia in 2008, also their joint biggest win at the finals.
- · Have kept clean sheets in their opening matches at the last five editions.
- · This will be their 75th AFCON finals match overall.
- · Were eliminated by South Africa in the Round of 16 at the last edition.
- · Became the first African nation to reach a FIFA World Cup semi-final at Qatar 2022.
- · Are undefeated in their last 11 AFCON group matches (W9 D2).
- · Qualified automatically as hosts but won all six qualifying matches, scoring 26 goals and conceding just two.
- · Brahim Díaz was top scorer in qualifying with seven goals in four matches.
Comoros – Key Statistics
- · Making their second AFCON finals appearance, following their debut at the 2021 edition.
- · One of four island nations to have qualified for an AFCON finals, along with Cabo Verde, Madagascar and Mauritius.
- · Qualified from Group A undefeated ahead of Tunisia, Gambia and Madagascar.
- · Recorded three wins and three draws in qualifying, conceding just four goals.
- · This was their best-ever AFCON qualifying campaign in terms of wins and defensive record.
- · Lost their opening AFCON match in 2021, 1–0 against Gabon.
- · Reached the Round of 16 on debut in 2021 after defeating Ghana 3–2 in the group stage.
- · Have yet to keep a clean sheet at AFCON finals, conceding seven goals in four matches.
- · Of their four AFCON goals, three have been scored in the second half.
- · Used 25 players during qualifying, with four starting all six matches.
- · Warmed Omari and Saïd Bakari played every minute of the qualifying campaign.