Sunday 21/December/2025 – 05:55 AM
He is running for a team Morocco Kick-off at the opening of the 35th edition of the African Cup of Nations, today, Sunday, which it will host at home until next January 18.
Moulay Abdullah Stadium in Rabat will host the match between Morocco and the Comoros at 10 pm Cairo time, in the opening match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The home team’s advantage supports the Moroccan national team in the opening of the African Nations
The Atlas Lions enter tonight’s match armed with a special number against the Comoros, as home advantage often decides the kick-off in Alkan.
Since the first edition in 1957, 34 opening matches have been held, with the host team participating in 33 of them. The 1970 edition recorded the only exception, when the Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire teams opened the competitions in Sudan without the host team participating.
According to the history of the tournament, the land sided with its owners in 19 opening matches, with only 5 defeats, while 9 matches ended in draws.
The first loss for the hosts came in the 1986 edition, when the Egyptian national team fell to Senegal with an unanswered goal in Cairo, while the last defeat for the tournament host was in the opening match of the 1998 edition, when the Burkina Faso national team was defeated by Cameroon.
The Algerian national team has the record for the largest opening victory in the history of the tournament, after defeating its Nigerian counterpart 5-1 at the opening of the 1990 edition.
Regragui talks about the match between Morocco and Comoros
Walid Regragui, the coach of the Moroccan national team, spoke about his country’s confrontation with the Comoros Islands, where he said: Our first and last goal is to win the African Cup of Nations, and everyone realizes the extent of the responsibility on us, especially since we began preparing since the last edition in Côte d’Ivoire, and we must win the cup in front of our fans and on our home soil.
He continued: Tomorrow will not witness any major changes in the way we deal with matches, as all matches are of equal importance to us. The opening ceremony will be held tomorrow, which only requires us to attend early. As for the match, it will remain as important as any other match in Cannes or outside it.
The Moroccan coach continued his statements: We must control our feelings and control our emotions, especially since we are playing on our home soil and in front of our fans and we know their expectations. I focused on the necessity of maintaining calm and playing with confidence and in the way we know, while respecting the opponent.
Regragui sent a message to the Moroccan fans before the opening match, saying: We need an audience to pressure us and motivate the players, not someone who comes to film or wait until the end of the first half to eat sweets.
