Who: Cameroon vs Morocco
Content: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Location: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco
Date and time: Friday 9th January 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll be broadcasting all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sports from 16:00 GMT, ahead of the live scores and text commentary stream.
Few gave Cameroon much of a chance at the Africa Cup of Nations, as off-field issues hampered their smooth build-up to the tournament, but the indomitable Lions persevered despite the adversity and reached the quarter-finals in Morocco.
The five-time champions will face the hosts in Friday’s last-eight tie, but they know the pressure is firmly on the North African side as they aim to win their first AFCON title in 50 years in front of their home supporters.
With big-name players such as Brahim Dias, Achraf Hakimi, Brian Mbeumo and Carlos Baleva taking part, there will be no shortage of talented players in Rabat.
Here’s what you need to know about Cameroon vs. Morocco.
What happened in the Cameroon camp before AFCON 2025?
For the past 18 months, Cameroon has been embroiled in a bizarre battle of wills between the federation, led by four-time African Player of the Year Samuel Eto’o, and the sports ministry, which employs the coach.
Head coach Mark Bliss was hired against Eto’o’s wishes, and the two sparred publicly during the 21 months the Belgian was in charge of the team. Mr. Bryce had government support to cover the team’s expenses, so a frustrated Mr. Eto’o undermined the coach at every opportunity, but was unable to oust him.
In the end, Cameroon, which has participated in more FIFA World Cups than any other African nation, suffered a crushing defeat in the qualifying rounds and missed out on qualifying for the 2026 tournament.
Following his failure in World Cup qualifying and Eto’o’s landslide re-election victory around the same time, support for Bliss suddenly waned and he was sacked three weeks before AFCON. Instead, unknown David Pagou was appointed as the new manager, and the AFCON squad was elected without captain Vincent Abubakar and goalkeeper Andre Onana, who had previously expressed support for the sports minister.
How did Cameroon reach the AFCON quarterfinals?
Cameroon finished Group F in second place with two wins and one draw. They were tied with Ivory Coast with seven points, but settled for second place because they scored fewer points than the top teams.
In the round of 16, Cameroon defeated South Africa 2-1, thanks to goals from Junior Chamadeu and Christian Cofane.
What happened in the Moroccan camp?
Despite being expected to be the overwhelming favorites to win, the 2022 World Cup semi-finalists faced criticism from the start after defeating the weaker power Comoros on the opening day and drawing with Mali, but regained confidence with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Zambia in their final group match.
Coach Walid Reglagui apologized to fans who were dissatisfied with his team’s underwhelming performance, saying, “Moroccans are emotional by nature and we need confidence.”
Captain Hakimi called on fans to support them until the end.
“If our fans support us, together we can become champions of Africa,” he said.
How did Morocco reach the quarterfinals?
Morocco topped Group A with a similar result, earning 7 points with 2 wins and 1 draw.
They started the finals tournament with a 1-0 win over Tanzania in the Round of 16.
Who will the winner face in the next round?
The winner of Cameroon vs. Morocco will face the winner of Algeria vs. Nigeria in the semi-finals. The match will be held in Rabat on January 14th.
Who is Cameroon’s best player?
Cameroon haven’t always been the most free-scoring team, but a few players have stepped up to the task.
Teenage forward Christian Cofane was an outstanding player, scoring twice in the tournament, including the decisive strike in the Round of 16 victory, to highlight his growing importance to the Indomitable Lions. Cameroon also had some luck in the group stage, benefiting from two own goals to keep their campaign on track.
Apart from Kofane, goals were scored by Chamadeu and Etta Eyon, while established star Brian Mbeumo and emerging talent Carlos Baleva were both impressive, winning the Player of the Match award for their influential play.
Who is Morocco’s best player?
Right winger Brahim Dias was a standout for Morocco at AFCON 2025.
The Real Madrid player was the competition’s top scorer with four goals and found the back of the net in all four of Morocco’s games, underscoring his status as Morocco’s most decisive attacking threat.
Striker Ayub El Kaabi also stole the show, earning praise from fans and pundits alike with his acrobatic finishing, scoring two goals to strengthen Morocco’s front line.
Achraf Hakimi, widely regarded as the best right-back in the world, missed the first two games due to an ankle injury, but made his first start of the tournament in the first round of the knockout stages, playing the full game.
Cameroon and Morocco form guide
Cameroon: WWDWL
Morocco: WWDWW
direct confrontation
Cameroon and Morocco have faced each other 13 times in both official games and friendlies.
Cameroon dominates the competition with seven wins, but four matches ended in draws. Morocco has only won twice.
When was the last time Cameroon and Morocco met?
The last time the two teams met was in February 2021 at the African Nations Championship, commonly known as CHAN, which resulted in a draw in the semi-finals. Morocco won the match 4-0.
Has Cameroon ever won an AFCON title?
yes. Cameroon is one of Africa’s mainstays at this tournament. They have won the title five times: 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, and 2017.
They are the second most successful team in the AFCON after Egypt, who have won seven titles.
Has Morocco ever won an AFCON title?
yes. Morocco won their first and only title in 1976. At the time, Morocco was only the second North African team to win the continental championship, after Egypt.
Cameroon team news
Cameroon coach David Pagou may be without midfielder Darin Yonwa, who left the team with an injury just 21 minutes into the last-16 match.
Cameroon expected lineup
Davis Epathy; Che Malone, Samuel Cotto, Nouhou Toro. Junior Chamadou, Arthur Avom, Carlos Baleva, Mahamadou Nagida. Brian Mbeumo, Christian Kofane, Danny Namaso
morocco team news
Morocco coach Walid Leglaghi will be without attacking midfielder Azzedine Unahi, who is sidelined with a calf injury.
“He has a torn calf and will not be able to play in AFCON. He will be out for five to six weeks,” Legulagi admitted after the match against Tanzania. “He got injured in training. It was an old injury from his time at Girona, and it reopened.”
Morocco’s predicted lineup
Yasin Bounow. Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Agerud, Adam Masina, Nousser Mazrawi. Bilal El Kannous, Nir El Ainaoui, Ismael Saibari. Brahim Diaz, Ayoub El Kaabi, Abde Ezarzouri
