Morocco are the defending AFCON champions — and the most controversial defending champions in the tournament’s history. The Atlas Lions were awarded the AFCON 2025 title after Senegal walked off the pitch in protest during the final. Half of Africa believes Morocco are the rightful holders. The other half believes Senegal were robbed. What nobody disputes is that Morocco arrive at AFCON 2027 in Tanzania as the team everyone wants to beat — with Achraf Hakimi, Brahim Diaz and one of the deepest squads on the continent. This is the complete guide for Moroccan fans.
Morocco AFCON 2027 Qualifying — Group A
Morocco will face Gabon, Niger and Lesotho in Group A of the AFCON 2027 qualifiers, entering as reigning AFCON champions. The qualifiers will feature 48 national teams divided into 12 groups, with the top two teams from each group qualifying directly for the tournament finals.
| Team | Strength | Key threat |
|---|---|---|
| 🇲🇦 Morocco | Defending champions — clear group favourites | Must maintain focus — complacency is the only real risk |
| 🇬🇦 Gabon | Experienced — attacking quality, physical away | Most dangerous opponent — Morocco lost to Gabon in recent qualifiers |
| 🇳🇪 Niger | Tactically disciplined — familiar opponents | Met Morocco in World Cup qualifying — knows their patterns |
| 🇱🇸 Lesotho | Weakest in group | Unlikely to take points from Morocco |
Morocco’s Qualifying Fixtures — Full Schedule
Morocco open their campaign at home against Gabon on September 21 2026 — expected to be the toughest fixture in the group. The second round on October 6 sees Morocco travel away to Lesotho. Matchday 3 on November 9 brings Niger to Morocco, a fixture that could effectively decide the group leadership. Morocco then face their most demanding away assignment — travelling to Gabon on November 17.
| Matchday | Window | Fixture | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| MD1 | 21 Sep – 6 Oct 2026 | Morocco 🇲🇦 vs Gabon 🇬🇦 | Morocco — home |
| MD2 | 21 Sep – 6 Oct 2026 | Lesotho 🇱🇸 vs Morocco 🇲🇦 | Away |
| MD3 | 9 – 17 Nov 2026 | Morocco 🇲🇦 vs Niger 🇳🇪 | Morocco — home |
| MD4 | 9 – 17 Nov 2026 | Gabon 🇬🇦 vs Morocco 🇲🇦 | Away — toughest fixture |
| MD5 | 22 – 30 Mar 2027 | Niger 🇳🇪 vs Morocco 🇲🇦 | Away |
| MD6 | 22 – 30 Mar 2027 | Morocco 🇲🇦 vs Lesotho 🇱🇸 | Morocco — home |
Morocco should qualify from Group A with relative comfort. The away trip to Gabon in Matchday 4 is the fixture to watch — Gabon have physical quality and Morocco have been punished by them before in qualifying.
The AFCON 2025 Title — What Actually Happened
The context of Morocco’s defending champion status cannot be ignored. At the AFCON 2025 final in Rabat before a home crowd, Senegal appeared to win the match 1-0 through a Pape Gueye goal in extra time. Senegal’s players celebrated. Two months later CAF’s appeals board ruled that Senegal had forfeited by walking off the pitch in protest over a disputed penalty decision — and awarded the title to Morocco by a 3-0 default score.
Senegal has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. The case was still ongoing as of July 2026. Morocco celebrate a title that generated fierce controversy. For Moroccan fans the title is legitimate and earned. For the rest of African football the ruling created the defining storyline of AFCON 2027 — the rematch everyone wants to see.
For Morocco the motivation is clear: prove the title was deserved by winning AFCON 2027 on the pitch, on neutral ground, against a full field of rested European-based players, with no home advantage. If they win in Tanzania there is no argument left.
Morocco’s AFCON Record
| Year | Host | Morocco’s result |
|---|---|---|
| 1976 | Ethiopia 🇪🇹 | 🏆 Champions (1st title) |
| 2004 | Tunisia 🇹🇳 | Group stage exit — shock defeat by DR Congo |
| 2019 | Egypt 🇪🇬 | Quarter-finals — lost to Benin on penalties |
| 2021 | Cameroon 🇨🇲 | Round of 16 |
| 2023 | Côte d’Ivoire 🇨🇮 | Semi-finals — lost to South Africa |
| 2025 | Morocco 🇲🇦 | 🏆 Champions (awarded after Senegal walkoff ruling) |
| 2027 | Tanzania/Kenya/Uganda 🇹🇿🇰🇪🇺🇬 | Defending champions |
Key Players for AFCON 2027
| Player | Position | Why they matter |
|---|---|---|
| Achraf Hakimi | Right back | African Player of the Year — the most complete full-back in African football. PSG’s attacking threat comes through him and so does Morocco’s. Named the tournament’s best player at AFCON 2025. |
| Brahim Diaz | Attacking midfield | Top scorer at AFCON 2025. Real Madrid star — creative, unpredictable and capable of the decisive moment from anywhere on the pitch. At peak age in 2027. |
| Youssef En-Nesyri | Striker | Morocco’s primary goal threat — physical, aerial and technically improved. Was the reference point in Morocco’s AFCON 2025 campaign. |
| Nayef Aguerd | Centre-back | West Ham’s defensive anchor — organises Morocco’s backline which conceded the fewest goals of any team at AFCON 2025. The foundation of their tournament record. |
| Sofyan Amrabat | Defensive midfield | The combative defensive midfielder who became a global name at the 2022 World Cup. Screens the defence and allows Hakimi and Diaz to express themselves going forward. |
| Hakim Ziyech | Winger | Still capable of the extraordinary — left-footed, creative and a set-piece specialist. At 34 in 2027 this will likely be his last AFCON. |
| Yassine Bounou (Bono) | Goalkeeper | One of Africa’s best goalkeepers. His penalty shootout heroics at the 2022 World Cup are legendary. Decisive in tight tournament matches. |
Why AFCON 2027 Is Different for Morocco
Every previous Morocco AFCON since 2019 has been shaped by their home continent advantage — familiar conditions, nearby travel, home support in North African venues. AFCON 2027 strips all of that away. Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda are 5,000km from Rabat. The climate is different. The crowd will not be predominantly Moroccan. The roads to the venues will be unfamiliar.
That neutrality is both a challenge and an opportunity. Morocco’s dominance in North African conditions is undeniable. But the question AFCON 2027 will answer — the one every rival is asking — is whether Morocco are truly the best team in Africa or the best team in familiar conditions. Tanzania in June and July 2027 will settle that argument once and for all.
And it is worth noting: the last time Morocco won AFCON on genuinely neutral African ground was 1976 — in Ethiopia. That is almost 51 years of waiting to prove their continental dominance away from home. Winning AFCON 2027 in East Africa would be their most significant title of the modern era, regardless of what happened in the 2025 final.
For Moroccan Fans Travelling to Tanzania
Getting from Morocco to Tanzania
| Route | Airline | Connection | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Casablanca (CMN) → Addis Ababa → Dar es Salaam | Ethiopian Airlines | Addis Ababa | ~9–11 hours total |
| Casablanca (CMN) → Nairobi → Dar es Salaam | Kenya Airways | Nairobi | ~9–11 hours total |
| Casablanca (CMN) → Doha → Dar es Salaam | Qatar Airways | Doha | ~10–12 hours total |
| Casablanca (CMN) → Dubai → Dar es Salaam | Emirates | Dubai | ~11–13 hours total |
Royal Air Maroc operates direct Casablanca to Nairobi routes — worth checking for AFCON 2027 travel as additional connections may be added closer to the tournament. Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa is typically the most direct option. Book at least 6 months in advance.
Visa Requirements
- Tanzania eVisa — required for Moroccan passport holders. Apply at visa.immigration.go.tz — cost $50 USD, processing up to 10 working days. Apply at least 2 months before travel.
- Yellow fever certificate — Morocco is not a yellow fever endemic country so the certificate is not mandatory for direct travellers from Morocco. Confirm with your airline before travel.
See our complete Tanzania eVisa guide.
Practical Tips for Moroccan Fans in Tanzania
- Language — Swahili and English are Tanzania’s working languages. Arabic script is not widely understood in tourist areas, but some Arabic speakers are present in Zanzibar’s Stone Town given its Omani heritage. French is more useful as a backup in hospitality settings.
- Currency — Tanzania uses the Tanzanian Shilling (TZS). USD is widely accepted at hotels and restaurants. Withdraw TZS at Julius Nyerere International Airport on arrival. See our money guide.
- Food — Tanzanian coastal cuisine shares some spice influences with North African food through the Indian Ocean trade routes — cumin, cardamom and coriander appear throughout. Halal options are widely available given Tanzania’s large Muslim coastal population, particularly in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar.
- Transport — use Bolt or Uber exclusively in Dar es Salaam. See our safety guide.
- Zanzibar — a short flight or 2-hour ferry from Dar es Salaam. Stone Town’s Arab-influenced architecture, spice markets and coastal culture will feel surprisingly familiar to Moroccan visitors. If Morocco play at Fumba City Stadium or Amaan Stadium, Zanzibar is unmissable. See our Zanzibar guide.
Morocco’s AFCON 2027 Prediction
Morocco are the technical favourites for AFCON 2027 — the deepest squad, the best coaching structure and the most recent title. The variables working against them are the neutral ground, the psychological weight of the disputed 2025 title and the burning motivation of every team they face.
Our prediction: Morocco reach the final. Whether they win it depends on which version of Nigeria, Senegal and Algeria turns up in the knockout rounds. See our complete favorites guide and our full predictions article for the complete tournament analysis.
For the complete AFCON 2027 qualifying schedule see our qualifying schedule guide. For the full tournament fixture list see our fixtures page. For all stadiums see our stadiums guide. For tickets see our tickets guide.
Group draw confirmed by CAF on 19 May 2026 in Cairo. Qualifying fixture schedule sourced from Sports Village Square, Morocco World News, Africa Soccer and CAF official, May 2026. AFCON 2025 title context sourced from CAF official ruling and Euronews. Page will be updated as qualifying progresses.