AFCON
2019 AFCON QUALIFIERS GET TO HOME STRETCH
By Sunday, all the 24 qualifiers would have emerged. At the moment, 14 are already confirmed making some of the matches of the Match Day six mere formalities.
One of such is Friday encounter of Nigeria and Seychelles in duel that has largely turned the visiting side mere tourists. Another is the Niger versus Egypt encounter in Niamey.
The Egypt, the obvious super power of the Africa Cup of Nations have picked qualification ticket, even before getting the hosting rights in Nigeria.
Who will go to Egypt next June? There are many contenders but only 24 countries will have the privilege of playing in the TOTAL CAF Africa Cup of Nations 2019. Cafonline.com reviews last remains games before this coming sixth day.
Group A
Senegal and Madagascar meet again for a final without stakes for this last day. The Teranga Lions will hope to finish this qualifying round with a fifth win in front of their home crowd. Sadio Mané and Kalidou Koulibaly will be serious contenders for the title next June. Will this golden generation finally be crowned after many failures despite their undeniable talent? As for the Barea, this will be their last major test before their first appearance at an AFCON. Sudan and Equatorial Guinea, already eliminated, are back together.
Group B
Already eliminated, Malawi hosts the Atlas Lions. Hervé Renard’s Morocco qualified before this match and the Moroccan coach is counting on his team to win and ensure the FIFA ranking. The players will also have in mind the prestigious friendly match to be played in Tangier on March 26th against Argentina with a certain Lionel Messi. Cameroon, the reigning African champions, need only a point at home against the Comoros to defend their trophy in Egypt. The Indomitable Lions will not be able to count on Jean-Armel Kana-Biyik and striker Stéphane Bahoken
Group C
In Bamako, Mali should logically win against the young South Sudanese team, who have still not pocketed a single point in these qualifiers. First place in the group should remain Les Aigles’ property before competing next June in the AFCON. In Bujumbura, a fiery atmosphere for the Burundians, who are 90 minutes away from their first AFCON qualification. Gabon must absolutely win. Coach Daniel Cousin will be able to count on the return of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Group D
The Mustapha Tchaker stadium in Blida will be filled to capacity to greet the Fennecs in a game with no stakes. Djamel Belmadi’s Algeria will finish first in this group unless there is an accident and the last match against Gambia will be an opportunity to shine in front of their 22,000 fans. In Cotonou, the Squirrels had to draw to eliminate Emmanuel Adebayor’s Togo. Without Stéphane Sessegnon, coach Michel Dussuyer is counting on the audience at the Stade de l’Amitié to support his team
Group E
The Super Eagles know they’ll fly to the land of the Pharaohs. In Asaba, the Nigerians will therefore play without pressure against the Seychelles. In Sfax, South Africa has its destiny in its hands and could settle for a draw against Libya to take second place in the group’s qualifying round.
Group F
Ghana hosts Kenya for first place in the group. Both teams have already qualified ahead of Ethiopia and Sierra Leone.
Group G
Anyone can still qualify even if Zimbabwe has a slight advantage over its competitors. First with 8 points, the Warriors host the Congo Red Devils, currently last in Group G. The Congolese will have to win in Harare and hope for a bad result from their neighbors in Kinshasa. The Leopards will welcome Liberia and any result other than a victory would eliminate Florent Ibenge’s men.
Group H
Guinea and Côte d’Ivoire are expected to qualify in this order. Except an accident in the Central African Republic, the Sily National will remain first in the group ahead of the Ivorian Elephants who will play against Rwanda, the last and already eliminated.
Group I
The surprising Mourabitounes will travel serenely to Ouagadougou. Already qualified, the Mauritanians will face with more than motivated Stallions. Burkina Faso must win, but above all they must count on a misstep from the Palancas Negras, who travel to Botswana, who have already been eliminated. Scenario more than improbable.
Group J
Tunisia and Egypt, the host country, have already qualified for the Total AFCON 2019. For prestige, Eagles of Carthage and Pharaohs will compete for first place at a distance in their respective matches against Eswatini and Niger.
Group K
Another open group! Although the Chipolopolos are mathematically eliminated, their match against Namibia is not without stakes. Visitors must take it with them as the Portuguese-speaking duel will take place in Bissau between Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. Woe to the loser of this game when the Djuturs could get their second qualification for a AFCON finals.
Group L
The Cape Verde Blue Sharks will have to win at home against Lesotho, who are one point clear at the start of the game. The first and already qualified Ugandan Cranes travel to Tanzania
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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