Morocco's Bold Rally: Will AFCON 2025 Be the Lions' Breakthrough?

Morocco's Football Chief Mobilizes Unprecedented Support

Fouzi Lekjaa, president of the Moroccan Football Federation, launched a campaign to mobilize unprecedented public support for the Atlas Lions in their bid to lift the Africa Cup of Nations trophy, which Morocco will host later this year.

In a powerful address to the government and parliament, Lekjaa urged fans to back their national team and to pursue the long-awaited title, the dream Morocco has chased for nearly half a century since 1976.

He also called on players and the coaching staff to make extra sacrifices, praising the talent in the current squad and stressing that lifting the trophy is the only acceptable outcome.

In the same remarks, he attacked voices calling for boycotts of the Lions' matches for flimsy reasons, calling such talk a crude conspiracy and pointing to record ticket sales as proof of public enthusiasm.

He added that hosting the AFCON in Morocco will leave a mark the world remembers as the most successful event among continental championships.

Don't Boycott Hakimi

Lekjaa tapped into a sensitive chord by urging Moroccans to attend matches, invoking Achraf Hakimi—the captain and symbol of the squad—who holds a special place in fans' hearts.

He asked, 'Honestly, who would boycott a player named Achraf Hakimi?' He argued that boycotting this football icon who commands a special place in Moroccan hearts would be unthinkable. The boycott call, he added, was a feeble bid by a group that fears success, given that tickets sold out within hours.

He noted that about 210,000 tickets for the group-stage matches have already sold out, and that demand for the remaining games remains extraordinarily high. 'We will all stand behind the Atlas Lions and Hakimi, the bearer of Morocco's dream in this great African festival,' he said.

He also spoke about the importance of a strong crowd presence in projecting a refined image of Morocco as a hospitable host, with the same generosity that has long welcomed guests from overseas.

'Africans expect a lot from us, and throughout history we have welcomed our guests with generosity and ease,' he added. 'Those who meet attendance requirements will enjoy a version of the tournament like never before.'

Lekjaa noted that European demand has been record-setting, with interest surpassing half a million requests, many from France, and he stressed that this momentum could boost tourism as well.

The Elusive Dream

AFCON has been a personal goal for Lekjaa since taking office ten years ago. He has highlighted Morocco's notable strides—leading world rankings at times, a proud World Cup run in Qatar, Olympic bronze in Paris 2024, a youth World Cup title in Chile, and multiple continental honours at youth and domestic levels—but the senior CAN crown has remained elusive, fueling his determination for a successful fifth attempt.

In television interviews, he insisted that if asked about winning CAN in Morocco, the answer would be clear: the trophy at home, whatever the cost, with due respect to the rivals.

Rabat, Africa's Capital

For the first time in a continental tournament, a single city—Rabat—will host all group-stage matches across four venues: Stade Moulay Abdellah (about 70,000 seats), Stade Moulay Hassan (25,000), Stade Postal (19,000), and the Olympic Stadium (23,000).

Three North African teams—Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria—will play in Rabat, adding extra spice to these fixtures. Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Tangier and Agadir will host the rest of the tournament, including Egypt's games in Agadir.

Campaigns to mobilize volunteers and fans have already begun to ensure the CAN's success and to back Morocco's bid to lift the trophy, hoped to be one of the most exciting moments in African football given the infrastructure and hospitality on offer.

Punchline 1: If Morocco pulls it off, the trophy will be so heavy journalists will need a forklift. Punchline 2: And if not, the celebrations will still be legendary—just with a few extra confetti canons to compensate for the suspense.