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AFCON Enters Knockout Rounds With Mouthwatering Fixtures –

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The group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations Cote d’Ivoire 2023, concluded on Wednesday night, setting up some highly anticipated knock-out stage clashes.

The group stage produced everything expected of the grit the AFCON is made of; stellar shocks, goals, records, history and passionate fans turning up at match venues.

In the marquee match of the round, defending champions Senegal will take on tournament hosts Cote d’Ivoire.

The Elephants suffered a shock 4-0 thrashing by Equatorial Guinea in their final group game but still advanced. They now face the daunting task of overcoming an in-form Senegalese side yet to drop points.

Two more African heavyweights will collide when Nigeria meets Cameroon. Both teams had uneven group stages but remain continental powerhouses.

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Elsewhere, Morocco topped their group without conceding and will look to continue their fine form against South Africa.

After surprisingly winning Group A undefeated, underdogs Equatorial Guinea will try to cause another upset against Guinea. First-time knockouts Namibia face a stern challenge from two-time quarterfinalists Angola.

Despite an underwhelming group stage, Egypt’s pedigree as the most successful  AFCON nation makes them dangerous opponents for DR Congo.

Other intriguing clashes see Mali take on Burkina Faso while Cape Verde battle Mauritania.

With sudden-death matches between some of Africa’s top sides, the AFCON Round of 16 promises pulsating action and drama as heavy favourites and plucky underdogs collide.

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Below are the interesting fixtures to look out for:

  • Saturday 27 January, Bouake: (6pm) Angola v Namibia 

Namibia made history by qualifying to the knockout stage of the AFCON for the first time in their history since debuting in 1998. They face Angola who topped a group involving Burkina Faso, Burkina Faso and Mauritania with 7 points.

Angola will want more based on their record in the history of the competition; two times quarter finalist. The game is scheduled to take place at Stade de la paix in Bouake on January 27.

  • Saturday 27 January: Abidjan (9pm) Nigeria v Cameroon 

Despite a shaky start, the two giants managed their qualification to the round of 16 after their final round of matches.

Nigeria are hoping to end a decade of no  AFCON trophy.

Rigobert Song is under pressure to give Cameroonians a better performance in the knockout stage after struggling in the group stage, where they won just a game.

Obviously, one of the powerhouses will be crashed out in the round of 16.

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The game is on Saturday, January 27 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium in Abidjan

  • Sunday 28 January: Abidjan (6pm) Equatorial Guinea v Guinea 

Equatorial Guinea shockingly managed to top a group involving hosts Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria. They face a Guinean side who haven’t been consistent with results in this year’s AFCON.

The Syli Nationals will have the competition’s top scorer, Emilio Nsue to deal with in this fixture. The game is at the Alassane Ouattara Stadium on Sunday, January 28.

  • Sunday 28 January: San Pedro (8pm) Egypt vs D.R Congo 

Egypt qualified after drawing all group games, it was obviously not a good one for the Pharaohs. As the most successful country in the history of the competition, their presence in the knockout stage is a threat to any team they face and D.R Congo is no exception. The game will be played on January 28 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.

  • Monday 29 January: Abidjan (6pm): Cape Verde v Mauritania 

After a shocking run in the group stage, which saw Cape Verde going unbeaten and leading a group involving two previous AFCON champions , Egypt and Ghana, the Blue Sharks will have Mauritania to deal with in the round of 16. Amir Abdou has already exceeded expectations by getting this far with Mauritania.

They can however write more history as they face Cape Verde. The game is on the Monday, January 29 at the Felix Houphouet Boigny Stadium.

  • Monday 29 January: Yamoussoukro(8pm) Senegal vs Côte d’lvoire 

Following their disappointing 4-0 defeat on the final day, host Côte d’lvoire only progressed after Zambia lost to Morocco in their final group F game. They have been handed a tough test against defending champions, Senegal.Senegal have a 100% record in the tournament and the fixture is a tough one for the host.

The game will be played at the Charles Konan Banny Stadium on January, 29.

  • Tuesday 30 January: Korhogo(6pm); Mali v Burkina Faso 

Burkina Faso brought their group stage games to a disappointing end after losing 2-0 to Angola. Mali went unbeaten in all their group stage games and will have the advantage of playing at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium in Kohorgo. The venue they played most of their group games at. The game is on the January 29 at the Amadou Gon Coulibaly Stadium.

  • Tuesday 30 January: San Pedro(8pm) Morocco vs South Africa 

The 2022 FIFA World Cup semifinalists are on track to win the AFCON Côte d’lvoire 2023. On their way to achieving the feat, they will face South Africa in the Round of 16. The South Africa attack with Percy Tau and Themba Zwane will give the Moroccans lot of problems to deal with. The game is on January 30 at the Laurent Pokou Stadium.

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Kunle Solaja is the author of landmark books on sports and journalism as well as being a multiple award-winning journalist and editor of long standing. He is easily Nigeria’s foremost soccer diarist and Africa's most capped FIFA World Cup journalist, having attended all FIFA World Cup finals from Italia ’90 to Qatar 2022. He was honoured at the Qatar 2022 World Cup by FIFA and AIPS.

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Royal Air Maroc named official partner for AFCON 2025, WAFCON 2024

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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.

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“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.

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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.

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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.”

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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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Morocco speeds up stadium upgrades ahead of AFCON 2025

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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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‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord 

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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.

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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.

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“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.

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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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