AFCON
AFCON QUALIFIERS: TUNISIA, EGYPT BATTLE TO WIN GROUP
BY APESIN ADEMOLA.
The Matchday 5 of the final round qualifiers for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations, to be hosted by Cameroon, kicks off this Friday with three matches in different groups and centres.
Four teams – Tunisia and Egypt, who clash this Friday in Egypt, as well as Senegal and Madagascar, who will engage their respective opponents on Saturday and Sunday – have booked their places to join Cameroon in next year’s finals, leaving 19 slots to be contested in the last two rounds of the group stage.
For the first time, 24 teams will feature in the 32nd edition of the continent’s flagship competition from June 15 to July 13 next year.
Tunisia and Egypt in Group J will go head-to-head in a classification match at the Borg El Arab Stadium, located in the Mediterranean Sea resort that shares the same name with the stadium.
The Eagles of Carthage, who have lifted the trophy only once when they hosted in 2004, need to avoid defeat to confirm their status as the group winners.
Record seven-time winners of the title, Egypt missed out of three consecutive editions but returned two years ago, and almost won the competition but Cameroon stopped their run 2-1 in the showpiece match.
In the first leg of the 2019 AFCON qualifiers, the Pharaohs were beaten by a lone goal. So they require a two-goal cushion to displace Tunisia at the top of the table.
eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) and Niger Republic, the other teams in Group J who are already eliminated, play on Sunday.
In Cameroon’s group, Morocco may qualify along with the hosts this penultimate match of the group phase. Cameroon had prevailed 1-0 in Yaounde in the first leg but the Atlas Lions will go on top of the table, in place of the Indomitable Lions, if they achieve revenge.
That outcome will leave Malawi needing to win at Comoros Islands on Saturday to stay in contending for the group’s sole ticket, Cameroon having automatically qualified for the finals.
At the moment, Malawi are three points behind Morocco and will be at home to the north Africans in their final group fixtures.
Comoros Islands, on their part, remain hopeful that Cameroon 2019 will see them feature in the finals for the first time. That will however require Morocco losing their last two group games and Malawi not having more than three additional points. Even then, Comoros Islands must triumph in their remaining two fixtures.
In Group C, eliminated South Sudan, fight for pride as they welcome Burundi, who had the edge 3-0 in the first leg. Four straight losses have left South Sudan with no point and at the foot of the table in this section.
Burundi will go on top of the table – above Gabon and current leaders Mali – if they achieve a double over the group’s whipping side.
Gabon will host Mali on Saturday with the latter a point ahead.
Friday’s fixtures…
Group B: Morocco v Cameroon (first leg Cameroon 1-0) (8pm)
Group C: South Sudan v Burundi (first leg Burundi 3-0) (2pm)
Group J: Egypt v Tunisia (first leg Tunisia 1-0) (5pm)
Saturday’s fixtures…
Group A: Equatorial Guinea v Senegal (first leg Senegal 3-0) (4pm)
Group B: Comoros Islands v Malawi (first leg Malawi 1-0) (1pm)
Group C: Gabon v Mali (first leg Mali 2-1) (4pm)
Group D: Gambia v Benin Republic (first leg Benin Republic 1-0) (5:30pm)
Group E: South Africa v Nigeria (first leg South Africa 2-0) (2pm), Seychelles v Libya (first leg Libya 5-1) (1:30pm)
Group K: Namibia v Guinea-Bissau (first leg Guinea-Bissau 1-0) (3pm)
Group L: Uganda v Cape Verde Islands (first leg Uganda 1-0) (2pm)
Sunday’s fixtures…
Group A: Madagascar v Sudan (first leg Madagascar 3-1) (12:30pm)
Group D: Togo v Algeria (first leg Algeria 1-0) (5pm)
Group F: Ethiopia v Ghana (first leg Ghana 5-0), Kenya v Sierra Leone (first leg Sierra Leone 2-1) (both 2pm)
Group G: Congo Republic v DR Congo (first leg DR Congo 3-1) (3:30pm), Liberia v Zimbabwe (first leg Zimbabwe 3-0) (5pm)
Group H: Rwanda v Central Africa Republic (first leg Central Africa Republic 2-1) (2:30pm), Guinea v Côte d’Ivoire (first leg Guinea 3-2) (6pm)
Group I: Angola v Burkina Faso (first leg Burkina Faso 3-1) (4pm), Mauritania v Botswana (first leg Mauritania 1-0) (6pm)
Group J: eSwatini v Niger Republic (first leg 0-0) (2:30pm)
Group K: Mozambique v Zambia (first leg Mozambique 1-0) (2:30pm)
Group L: Lesotho v Tanzania (first leg 1-1) (3pm)
The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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