Rabat – Morocco’s national football team arrived in South Africa in the early hours of Sunday ahead of their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifying match against Lesotho.
The Atlas Lions traveled from Rabat-Salé Airport on a direct charter flight following Friday’s opening qualifier against Gabon, with Mohamed Ouahbi’s squad quickly turning its attention to the second game of the international window.
Morocco will face Lesotho on Tuesday, at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, with the game forming part of the second round of Group A qualifying.
The team is expected to resume preparations in South Africa today. Mohamed Ouahbi has planned three training sessions before the match, with the first focused largely on recovery after the long journey.
Morocco will now use the remaining days before Tuesday’s game to recover from the journey and prepare for Lesotho as they seek a second consecutive victory in their AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign.
Morocco travel after winning start
The Atlas Lions arrived in South Africa with three points after defeating Gabon 2-0 at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat in their opening qualifier.
Noussair Mazraoui gave Morocco the lead in the 36th minute before Soufiane Rahimi sealed the result with a second goal in the 84th minute.
Ouahbi had already warned before the trip that African away fixtures can bring different conditions and challenges outside the team’s control, describing such experiences as useful for the squad’s development.
Morocco’s arrival also came during a difficult weekend in South Africa after two separate mass shootings killed at least 30 people in other parts of the country.
Police said 17 people were killed at a tavern in Wedela, in Gauteng province southwest of Johannesburg, while another 10 were killed in a separate shooting in Lwandle near Cape Town in the Western Cape. Authorities launched investigations and manhunts following the attacks.
