By Kunle Solaja.

Seven-time African champions Egypt will be aiming for a positive start to their Africa Cup of Nations campaign on Monday when they face Zimbabwe in their Group B opener, as the Pharaohs begin the quest for a record-extending eighth continental title.

Egypt coach Hossam Hassan has underlined the importance of the opening fixture, describing it as crucial to setting the tone for the rest of the tournament.

“The opening match is always important in the Africa Cup of Nations,” Hassan said at a pre-match news conference on Sunday. “It gives confidence and strong motivation for the remainder of the group stage and the tournament as a whole.”

The Pharaohs are drawn in Group B alongside Zimbabwe, Angola and South Africa, in what promises to be a competitive section.

Despite their storied history, Egypt have not lifted the AFCON trophy since 2010. They endured a difficult spell thereafter, missing three consecutive tournaments between 2012 and 2015, before returning to lose the 2017 final to Cameroon.

Egypt reached the final again in 2021, only to suffer heartbreak in a penalty shootout defeat to Senegal, while their most recent appearance ended in disappointment with a round-of-16 exit in 2023.

Hassan insists this campaign will be different.

“We will do everything possible to win the title this year,” the 59-year-old, a three-time AFCON winner as a player, told the Confederation of African Football (CAF) website. “Achieving that requires tremendous effort from every member of the team.

“Egypt is always among the favourites in any competition because of its rich history, particularly in the Africa Cup of Nations, where we hold the record with seven titles.”

Despite qualifying unbeaten for both the AFCON and the World Cup, concerns remain over Egypt’s recent form, particularly in defence. Those weaknesses were exposed in a 2-0 loss to Uzbekistan at an international tournament in the United Arab Emirates in November, although signs of improvement were evident in a 2-1 friendly win over Nigeria in their final warm-up match.

Egypt’s attacking options, however, remain among the strongest on the continent. Liverpool star Mohamed Salah, Manchester City winger Omar Marmoush and Nantes striker Mostafa Mohamed form a formidable frontline, supported by a solid midfield including Mahmoud ‘Trezeguet’ Hassan, Marwan Attia and Emam Ashour, whose starting role remains uncertain following a long injury layoff.

“We have a wonderful generation with high-level ability and great potential, capable of competing for the title,” Hassan added.

Zimbabwe coach Marian Marinica acknowledged the scale of the task facing his side, especially with several players struggling with injuries, but insisted the Warriors would not be intimidated by Egypt’s reputation or star power.

“It will be a tough game because we are facing a big team,” Marinica said. “The situation is very difficult. We are missing seven players due to injury, and we are not sure all of them will be ready for tomorrow’s game.

“Salah and Marmoush are big names, but we are not worried. If we were, it would be better to stay at home. We are not thinking about individuals, but about the opponent as a team.

“We only want to apply what we worked on in training, and we hope to achieve the best possible result.”

As Egypt chases history and Zimbabwe seeks an upset, Monday’s Group B opener could prove decisive in shaping the early momentum of the AFCON campaign.

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Almost 30% of the players competing at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco were born outside the continent, reflecting the growing reliance many African countries have on players from the diaspora in Europe.

Tiny Comoros, who kick off the tournament against Morocco in Rabat on Sunday, have all but one of their 26-man squad born in Europe while the home nation are one of five countries with the majority of their squad born outside the continent.

Algeria, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Equatorial Guinea are the others with a heavy reliance on players born and raised in Europe to migrant families. Half of the Senegal squad, too, were born in Europe.

In total, of the 664 players across the 24 teams at the tournament, 191 were born in Europe, representing 28.8%.

Morocco have players born in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and Spain, indicative of diverse communities across Europe, while Algeria’s 16 foreign-born players come mainly from France but they also have a player born in Belgium as well as in Germany and Netherlands.

Both countries have a strong scouting system across Europe, actively seeking players to add to their senior side plus their junior teams.

Equatorial Guinea’s 28-man squad have 19 players all born in the former colonial power Spain.

The footballing fortunes of the small central African nation have improved drastically since they began to look for players in Spain with a connection to the country. This is their fifth Cup of Nations finals appearance in the last eight editions.

Comoros are competing in their second tournament, dipping heavily into the large community based in Marseille, while the Congolese have filled the vast majority of their squad with players from their migrant population in Belgium and France.

AFRICA BENEFITTED FROM RULE CHANGE

Players born in Britain, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Switzerland and Sweden are also competing at the tournament, while Morocco’s goalkeeper Yassine Bounou was born in Canada and the Sudan striker Amar Taifour in the U.S.

African countries have benefitted from a change in the FIFA rules on international eligibility some 20 years ago that allowed players who had represented one country at junior level to switch allegiance if they had dual nationality.

A later change to the eligibility rules allowed players with senior caps in non-competitive internationals to change, like Wilfried Zaha, who won two caps for England but is competing for the Ivory Coast at the Cup of Nations in Morocco.

Botswana, Egypt and South Africa are the only countries whose players at the tournament are all home-born.

-Reuters

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Hosts Morocco national football team shrugged off a sluggish start to defeat Comoros national football team 2–0 in their opening Group A match of the Africa Cup of Nations at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, climbing to the top of the group.

The Atlas Lions, clear favourites against a Comoros side ranked 108th in the world, were handed an early opportunity to settle nerves when they were awarded a penalty in the 10th minute. However, Soufiane Rahimi’s penalty-kick was superbly saved by Comoros goalkeeper Yannick Pandor, keeping the contest level.

Morocco were dealt a further blow when captain Romain Saïss was forced off through injury, with Jawad El Yamiq coming on in his place.

 Despite the disruption, the hosts gradually asserted control, dominating possession with close to 80 per cent of the ball and registering seven attempts before the break, but failing to find a way past a disciplined Comoros defence.

Coach Walid Regragui freshened his attack early in the second half, introducing Abde Ezzalzouli and Ayoub El Kaabi, and the changes quickly paid dividends.

 In the 55th minute, Brahim Diaz broke the deadlock with a crisp right-footed finish after a precise assist from Noussair Mazraoui.

Comoros struggled to respond as Morocco tightened their grip on the game, and the victory was sealed in spectacular fashion 20 minutes from time.

 El Kaabi, just moments after coming off the bench, produced an acrobatic left-footed bicycle kick to make it 2–0 and send the home crowd into raptures.

The win gives Morocco a perfect start to their AFCON 2025 campaign and places them in pole position in Group A.

The Atlas Lions will now turn their attention to their next fixture against the Mali national football team on Friday, December 26, as they look to build momentum on home soil.

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