Morocco and Mali will meet in a crucial AFCON 2025 Group A match scheduled for Friday, 26 December 2025 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco. Softfootball understands that this is an important game for both teams to secure early progress into the tournament’s knockout stages.
Morocco already began their AFCON campaign with a 2-0 win over Comoros, showcasing solid control and good quality in attack. Great performances from Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz and Ayoub El Kaabi gave the Atlas Lions all three points in their opening match.
Morocco announced this scheduled match on their official X handle:
Mali, on the other hand secured a 1-1 draw with Zambia in their first group game. They took the lead before conceding a late equalizer, giving them one point and a need for a positive result against Morocco to strengthen their tournament hope.
Historically, Morocco is ahead of Mali with nine wins in their twenty meetings while Mali has six wins with five of the matches ending in draws.
Team News
Morocco’s captain Romain Saiss will not be available because he sustained a knee injury during their game against Comoros.
Achraf Hakimi, Morocco’s star right‑back and 2025 CAF African Player of the Year did not play in the opening match as a result of an injury suffered earlier with Paris Saint-Germain. His participation in the match against Mali is also under probability.
For Mali, midfielder Yves Bissouma’s participation in the match is uncertain as a result of an ankle injury.
Possible Lineups
Morocco
Bounou; Mazraoui, Aguerd, El Yamiq, Salah‑Eddine; Ounahi, Amrabat, Saibari; Díaz, El Kaabi, El Aynaoui.
Mali
Diarra; Coulibaly, Fofana, Diaby, Dante; Sangaré, Dieng, Sinayoko, Doumbia, Nene; Toure.
Prediction
Morocco has a higher chance of winning this game because of their strong form and even home advantage as the hosts of this tournament. The game could end in a 1-0 win for Morocco as historically, they have always dominated Mali.
