AFCON
FROM PORT HARCOURT AND ASABA, AFCON GROUP A TEAMS NOW SET FOR BATTLE IN CAIRO
Nigerian arenas named after two previous Africa Cup of Nations’ winners, Adokiye Amiesiamaka and Stephen Keshi were the testing grounds for all the Group A teams of the 2019 tournaments.
Sports Village Square recalls that Egypt, Congo DR, Uganda and Zimbabwe curiously engaged the Nigerian soil and the Super Eagles team to test their strength.
DR Congo played against Nigeria last year May in Port Harcourt, while Uganda’s Crane visited Asaba to play a friendly tie with the Super Eagles last November. Egypt came in March while Zimbabwe would not be left out as they also came early in June.
None of the teams beat the Super Eagles. Now all the four are competing in Group A in Cairo.
As the competition kicks off on Friday night, it will be Egypt taking on Zimbabwe.
The Group A curtain raiser is set to start at 22:00 local time (20:00 GMT) after a scheduled opening ceremony that starts a couple of hours earlier.
Record seven time champions Egypt, led by recent UEFA Champions League winner with Liverpool Mohamed Salah would be eager to give a good impression of themselves in front of their die-hard supporters, who are thirsty for a record extending eighth title, their first since completing the unprecedented treble between 2006 and 2010.
The Pharaohs were losing finalists two years ago when they succumbed to a late 2-1 defeat against eventual champions Cameroon in Libreville, Gabon.
Head Coach Javier Aguirre opted to keep the core of the team that returned from Gabon with the runner-ups tag, hoping for a better outing this time round.
Zimbabwe are having a back to back appearance at the finals after their early group stage crash in 2017.
The Warriors have never gone past the group stage in their previous outings and they are eager for a good start against the hosts, despite their Coach Sunday Chidzambwa admitting it will be a tough outing.
“Egypt is not an easy match because they won the title seven times and they are also playing at home. We are one of the best 24 teams as we have qualified and we will do our best”. Chidzambwa told the reporters on Wednesday.
PREVIOUS AFCON MEETINGS
25.01.2004 Sfax Egypt 2-1 Zimbabwe
WHAT THEY SAID
Javier Aguirre (Coach, Egypt)
We have reached a very good form since we started preparing, and we have no problems either physically or technically. It’s a very important game as it’s the opening and we know the responsibility for us, yet we feel no pressure. We respect Zimbabwe and know them well. We will do our best come Friday. We are just thinking of Zimbabwe game now and will take one game at a time.
Ahmed Elmohamady (Captain, Egypt)
We are ready for the first game and our morale is very high. We play at home and promise our supporters that we will emerge champions. Our treble between 2006 and 2010 gave us great confidence and we were unlucky to win two years ago. Being at home will push us more. Salah is one of the best three players in the world and that’s good for all of us. He is a great addition for the team and he’s only one of us and we all play as one team.
Sunday Chidzambwa (Coach, Zimbabwe)
We prepared well and we believe we will do well. We are playing in a very difficult group and we also had the same in the qualifiers. Facing Egypt is not going to be easy because they play at home and also they won AFCON 7 times. But we are one of the best 24 teams in Africa and we will do our best. We know well Egypt is a very good team and we are the underdogs. Since we qualified nothing can stop us from doing a surprise. The best team on the day will win.
Knowledge Musona (Captain, Zimbabwe)
We are very excited to play in Egypt, a very nice country and people. We are looking forward to the tournament kickoff. Egypt has home advantage and we’re not playing at home, but we are going to focus on our game and we’re not worried. I’ve been watching Egypt since I was young and they’re a very good team. There’s a great potential in Salah as he’s a great player but there are many other good players. We are not playing against him only and we are going to watch for everyone.
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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