Pressure on Morocco to deliver as Africa Cup of Nations kicks offRABAT, Dec 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - Morocco carry a huge weight of expectation into their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday as the hosts, with star man Achraf Hakimi returning from injury, aim to see off stiff competition to claim continental glory. There is huge pressure on the Atlas Lions, semi-finalists at the 2022 World Cup who come into the Cup of Nations on a world-record run of 18 consecutive victories. They could not wait until next June because of the World Cup, and they can no longer stage the Cup of Nations in January and February because of the new UEFA Champions League format. Runners-up last year, Nigeria will hope to make amends here for missing out on World Cup qualification. In contrast, Ghana and Cape Verde are both going to the World Cup but neither are present in Morocco.

Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha December 21, 2025 04:22 UTC