For the past six weeks, one question has been on the mind of every Moroccan supporter: Will Achraf Hakimi, who injured his ankle on November 4 during a Champions League match between Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, recover in time for the opening game of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) against Comoros on Sunday, December 21?
“I feel ready, I did everything to be here,” said the captain of the Atlas Lions, Morocco’s national team, on the eve of the match at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat. “Whether I play or not, the most important thing is for Morocco to win.” Seated next to him, head coach Walid Regragui kept the suspense alive: “Achraf sacrificed himself in a way no one else could have for his country. The medical protocol he followed has been more than positive. He might play, or we might protect him for the next games. I have one night left to decide.”
With or without Achraf Hakimi, who was named African Footballer of the Year in 2025, Moroccans entered the tournament as favorites ahead of Nigeria, Algeria and title holders Cรดte d’Ivoire. Ranked as the top African team in the FIFA rankings (11th) and 2022 World Cup semifinalists, the Atlas Lions also won the Arab Cup on December 18, in Qatar, a competition they played without their star players. But they were aiming higher, to add a second continental title after their 1976 win in Ethiopia. “We must win AFCON, we have an obligation to keep the trophy in Morocco,” repeated Fouzi Lekjaa, the influential president of the Moroccan Royal Football Federation and first vice president of the African Football Confederation in charge of the budget, for several months.
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