The previous editions of the AFCON tournaments have seen Morocco come close to winning the trophy but have fallen short time and time again. Well, in the AFCON 2025, the story seems to be different.
In the AFCON 2025, several things seem to have fallen into place for them. They are the host of the competition, and they have a great squad with a quality bench.
Well, this article will give you reasons why Morocco may win the AFCON 2025 ahead of other countries. Let’s get into it
Reasons Why Morocco May Win AFCON 2025
These are some of the reasons why Morocco may win the AFCON 2025 tournament:
1. Motivation From FIFA Rankings
The Moroccan National Team would be looking to build on the success of the recent December 2025 FIFA rankings. The Moroccan National Team emerged as the 11th national team in 2025, and that made them the highest-ranked African nation by FIFA for the year 2025.
No doubt, that would make them huge favorites going into Africa’s most decorated cup competition.
It is also good to note that the Moroccan side became the highest-ranked African team, not on a platter, but had to overcome competition in Africa and other top European nations.
They had to beat teams during their friendly matches and World Cup qualifiers. These teams are teams that have had strong records going for them in the competition.
However, in all the matches Morocco faced, they were able to come out on top. Something only champions do. So, no doubt, this would be a huge factor that would come into play in the Moroccan National Team’s quest to win the AFCON 2025.
2. Prime Players
Another fact that comes with winning an international tournament like the AFCON tournament is the players. When the large crop of players in a squad is too young, they are labeled as “inexperienced.” On the other hand, when a large crop of the squad players are old, they are also labeled as “too old to run.” In the aspect of players, the Moroccan National Team does well. Yes, they are a team with a balanced set of players.
The majority of the players in the Moroccan National Team will be turning to their football prime ages (between the ages of 24 – 29 years) when the competition begins in 2025.
These players include Brahim Díaz — who would be 26 years old; Nayef Aguerd — 29; Noussair Mazraoui — 29, and Yassine Bounou — 34 (the prime year for goalkeepers), among others.
So, this places Morocco in pole position to win the AFCON 2025. The players, especially those mentioned above, haven’t hit their prime ages yet and they’ve been pulling great numbers in their respective positions.
You’ll agree that the Moroccan National Team would have a lot of firepower in their hands waiting to unleash when the AFCON 2025 competition begins.
READ THIS: AFCON 2025 Golden Boot: See Five Players Likely for the Award
3. Youssef En-Nesyri Factor
Youssef En-Nesyri is arguably one of the all-time greatest Moroccan footballers and no doubt, his presence in the National Team would be a huge morale booster for the squad.
He is a player who is always decisive in matches and his participation would help the Moroccan National Team emerge successful in their AFCON 2025 campaign.
For the Moroccan National Team squad, Youssef En-Nesyri is more like a mentor. According to many supporters, Youssef En-Nesyri “is the best thing” to happen to them. His experience and oversight is always one that is always welcomed in the dressing room.
So, it is safe to say that as long as Youssef En-Nesyri does not hang up his boots before the next AFCON 2025 ends, the Moroccan team led by him has a higher chance of winning the AFCON trophy.
4. Ever-dependable Goalkeeping Options
It is often said that “attack wins you games, while defense wins you titles”. This is true. The first line of defense starts with the goalkeeper.
With the Moroccan National Team, the goalkeeping options are well secured. The first choice, Yassine Bounou, and the second choice, Munir El Kajoui, are two world-class goalkeepers.
The success of the Moroccan National Team in the last three international competitions it has participated in has been largely due to the effort of these goalkeepers.
Yassine Bounou stands out for his penalty kick-saving specialty. It has been revealed that since his debut for the Moroccan National Team, he has saved 30% of the penalty kicks he has faced.
Munir El Kajoui, on the other hand, has been responsible for the behind-the-scenes tactics and strategies deployed by Yassine Bounou on the pitch. According to reports, he works alongside the goalkeeping coaches and Yassine Bounou to provide information on the potential penalty kick takers of opponents.
The Moroccan National Team can be confident that if the competition boils down to penalty kicks, they have a reliable man between the sticks for the job!
Conclusion
The AFCON 2025 promises to be exciting. The array of talents and competition to expect makes the competition one that’s worth the wait. The Moroccan National Team would be looking to secure a back-to-back championship title when the competition kicks off in 2026. The factor above makes them very much into competing for football’s most decorated competition. Well, would they emerge victorious? Only time will tell; let’s keep our fingers crossed.
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