The 1–1 draw between Morocco and Mali in the second round of the AFCON 2025 group stage has left Moroccan supporters frustrated, with many doubting whether the Atlas Lions can go far in the tournament and whether the dream of winning the cup at home can still come true.
Among their 20 appearances at the Africa Cup of Nations finals so far, Morocco have been eliminated in the group stage 9 times.
Here’s a look at AFCON editions where Morocco were eliminated in the group stage:
In 1972, Morocco’s Atlas Lions were eliminated from the group stage in their AFCON debut in Cameroon, drawing all three matches 1–1 against Sudan, Zaire, and Congo, with Ahmed Faras scoring all three goals.
In 1978, the Atlas Lions finished third in their group at the 11th AFCON in Ghana and were eliminated from the group stage. They drew 1–1 with Tunisia, beat Congo 1–0, but lost 3–0 to Uganda.
Morocco’s national team played two matches in the 18th AFCON in Senegal in 1992, losing 1–0 to Cameroon and drawing 1–1 with Zaire, finishing last in their group.
In 2000, the Moroccan team was eliminated from the group stage of the 22nd AFCON, co-hosted by Ghana and Nigeria, who replaced Zimbabwe, beating Congo 1–0, drawing 0–0 with Tunisia, and losing 2–0 to Niger.
In the 23rd AFCON, hosted by Mali in 2002, Morocco failed to reach the knockout stage, finishing third in Group B after losing 3–1 to South Africa, with Morocco’s goal coming from a penalty by Mohamed Rachid Benmahmoud, beating Burkina Faso 2–1, and drawing 1–1 with Ghana.
In 2006, the Atlas Lions again failed to advance from the group stage in the AFCON hosted by Egypt, losing 1–0 to Côte d’Ivoire and drawing 0–0 with Egypt and Libya in Group A.
In 2008, Morocco started Group A of the 26th AFCON hosted by Ghana with a 5–1 win over Namibia, with one of the goals coming from a penalty by Trik Sektitioui, but then lost 2–0 to Ghana and 3–2 to Guinea, failing to advance to the next round.
At the 28th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon in 2012, Morocco was also eliminated from the group stage after losing 3–2 to Gabon, losing 2–1 to Tunisia, and beating Niger 1–0.
The year 2013 was the last time Morocco was eliminated at the group stage, after drawing 0–0 with Angola, 1–1 with Cape Verde, and 2–2 with host nation South Africa at the 29th AFCON.
Once the group stage of AFCON 2025, held in Morocco for the second time, comes to an end, teams will be ranked by points, with goal difference and goals scored used as tiebreakers.
The top two teams from each group move on to the Round of 16, and the four best third-placed teams also qualify, based on points first, then goal difference, and then goals scored.
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