AFCON 2024 - Morocco: Squad, group, opponents & schedule

Under the leadership of Walid Regragui, the Morocco national team are preparing to begin its 2024 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2024) campaign in a few weeks.

For clarity's sake, this year's competition is officially named AFCON 2023 since it was initially scheduled to take place last year but was postponed until January-February 2024.

Following its recent successes with the team, including becoming the first African outfit to reach a World Cup semi-final, Regragui is set to lead his Atlas Lions team to another major tournament with the hopes of going a step further than the feat recorded at the Mundial, getting to play in a final and win the trophy.

In this article, here is all you need to know about the Atlas Lions of Morocco, who surprisingly haven't won an AFCON title in 47 years despite their rich football history.

Photo by Icon sport

AFCON 2023 Morocco

Morocco will play in Group F alongside DR Congo, Tanzania and Zambia. The Atlas Lions will play all its three group matches in San Pédro, Ivory Coast.

17 January, 6pm: Morocco vs Tanzania (Stade Laurent Pokou)
21 January 3pm: Morocco vs DR Congo (Stade Laurent Pokou)
24 January 9pm.: Zambia vs Morocco (Stade Laurent Pokou)

How did the Morocco team qualify for AFCON 2023?

They advanced from a three-team group following the suspension of Zimbabwe by FIFA. South Africa and Liberia were the other teams in the group and they qualified alongside the South Africans.

Day 1: Morocco-South Africa (2-1)
Day 2: Liberia-Morocco (0-2)
Day 3: Canceled
Day 4: Canceled
Day 5: South Africa-Morocco (2-1)
Day 6: Morocco-Liberia (3-0)

Morocco's last 10 official games

Tanzania-Morocco (0-2) – 2026 World Cup Qualifiers
Morocco-Liberia (3-0) – AFCON 2023 Qualifiers
Ivory Coast-Morocco (1-1) – Friendly
Morocco-Burkina Faso (1-0) – Friendly
South Africa-Morocco (2-1) – AFCON 2023 Qualifiers
Morocco-Cape Verde (0-0) – Friendly
Morocco-Peru (0-0) – Friendly
Morocco-Brazil (2-1) – Friendly
Croatia-Morocco (2-1) – 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP third-place playoff
France-Morocco (2-0) – 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP semi-final

Morocco a team with high expectations

After their historic World Cup in Qatar, the Atlas Lions are amongst the outright favourites heading into the 34th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

On paper, Regragui's team have the pedigree to go all the way in Ivory Coast, but winning such a title is never easy, especially in Sub-Sahara Africa, a region where they usually struggle, especially after their 2022 World Cup heroics.

They have managed to secure a victory, a draw and a defeat in their last three games.

The coach: Walid Regragui

The former Moroccan international has been the coach of the Atlas Lions since the end of August 2022. Having won the domestic championship with Wydad Casablanca and a continental feat with an African side when they won the CAF Champions League in the same season, the 48-year-old technician, who succeeded Vahid Halilhodžić, seems to have his plans for success spot-on.

The forthcoming AFCON 2024 will, however, prove to be a hard nut to crack for the coach. He will look to prove that the recent development and feats are not just luck but proof of real hard work, especially as he wants his team always to remain the best team on the continent.

Player to watch: Amine Adli

The 23-year-old Moroccan was recently discovered and has earned four caps since his first call-up and has scored one goal. The left winger, who plays in Germany with high-flying Bayer Leverkusen, will be one to watch closely in what will be his first major competition with the Atlas Lions. Adli is a versatile player who can operate from the left, right and in the centre.