Rabat – Morocco opened their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Gabon on Friday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The Atlas Lions took control of the match early and were rewarded in the 36th minute when Noussair Mazraoui opened the scoring.
Morocco maintained their 1-0 advantage until half-time, with Gabon unable to find a way through the Moroccan defense.
The hosts continued to push for a second goal after the restart as they looked to secure all three points from their opening qualifying fixture.
Their efforts finally paid off in the 84th minute when Soufiane Rahimi doubled Morocco’s lead, securing a 2-0 victory for the Atlas Lions.
The result gives Morocco three points from their opening Group A fixture and provides head coach Mohamed Ouahbi with a winning start to the qualifying campaign.
Morocco begin Group A campaign with three points
Morocco are competing in Group A alongside Gabon, Lesotho, and Niger.
The victory gives Morocco three points from their opening fixture. However, with the other Group A fixtures not yet completed, it is too early to draw conclusions about the full group standings.
Morocco will now look to build on their winning start when they face Lesotho in their second qualifying match.
The Atlas Lions will need to maintain their momentum throughout the qualifying campaign as they compete for a place at the 2027 AFCON finals.
Lesotho next for Morocco
Morocco will face Lesotho on September 29 in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
The fixture will be the Atlas Lions’ second Group A qualifier and will give Ouahbi’s side an opportunity to collect another three points.
The match will also mark Morocco’s second competitive fixture of the September international window following their victory over Gabon.
Morocco will then turn their attention to a different challenge when they return to action against Ghana in October.
Ghana friendly next
Morocco are scheduled to face Ghana in an international friendly on October 4 at the Grand Stade de Tanger.
The match will come just five days after the Lesotho qualifier and will not count toward the AFCON 2027 qualifying standings.
The meeting with Ghana will nevertheless give Ouahbi another opportunity to assess his squad and test different combinations following Morocco’s two competitive fixtures against Gabon and Lesotho.
The friendly will also keep the Atlas Lions active before they return to AFCON qualifying action later in the campaign.
For now, Morocco can take confidence from their opening 2-0 victory over Gabon, with three points already secured and the Lesotho fixture next on their schedule.
The 2027 AFCON finals will be co-hosted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The qualifying campaign features 48 national teams divided into 12 groups as teams compete for places at the continental tournament.
Read also: Gabon Coach: ‘Morocco Are at a Very High Level, and We Are Far from That’
