Morocco Breaks Africa’s Light: A Historic Arab Cup Opener Shocks Qatar
3 December 2025
Morocco writes a historic opening chapter for Africa
With the first round of the Arab Cup 2025 group stage in Qatar now complete, Algeria and Sudan drew 0-0, while the Moroccan side stood out with a record-breaking performance among the six African teams.
The Atlas Lions became the only African team to win their opening match, defeating Comoros 3-1. The Tunisia-Syria result ended 0-1 in favor of Syria, and the remaining African results were draws: Sudan-Algeria and Egypt-Kuwait.
From the coach's bench
Tarik Saktioui, Morocco's coach, said the focus is on qualification and contending for the title. "We are not chasing numbers or a perfect score; what matters is advancing to the next round," he told Kooora, adding that the rest of the matches will be tackled with focus and calm given the high level of the teams.
He noted that discussions on the remaining fixtures will continue with discipline as they chase a demanding yet plausible title run.
Punchlines: If this tournament were a sniper drill, Morocco just nailed the first headshot—on target and with flair. And in football as in life: keep your aim sharp, and the group stage will remember you for a long time.
