Morocco’s new generation face first African away test against Lesotho

Thirteen Morocco players are set to experience playing for the national team outside their own country for the first time when the Atlas Lions face Lesotho in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign on Tuesday.

The Group [sic] match will be played at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, rather than in Lesotho itself.

Anass Salah-Eddine, Issa Diop, Ali Maamar, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Neil El Aynaoui, Soufiane El Faouzi, Samir El Mourabet, Gessime Yassine, Abdellah Ouazane, Zakaria El Ouahdi, Yassir Zabiri, Tawfik Bentayeb and Redouane Halhal have all yet to represent Morocco in another African country.

That applies to both competitive and friendly internationals. Morocco have played a large proportion of their matches on home soil in recent years, making Tuesday’s fixture a significant first overseas experience for the 13 players.

The match is the second round of qualifying for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, with Morocco aiming to maintain their positive start and continue building momentum in the campaign.

For the younger members of the squad, the fixture will offer an opportunity to become familiar with the conditions involved in an away match on the African continent. They will also have to adapt to a different setting as the national team seeks to strengthen its position in the group.

Brahim Diaz is the exception among the players highlighted. The Morocco forward has already appeared for the Atlas Lions on African soil, and Tuesday’s meeting with Lesotho will be his second such outing.

His previous appearance came against Gabon during qualifying for the previous edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Morocco squad also includes several young players as part of an effort to reinforce the group and give the coaching staff more options. The approach reflects the team’s desire to maintain competition for places while continuing its qualifying campaign.

Morocco will be seeking another away victory against Lesotho, with the objective of retaining top spot in the group and extending their progress in the competition.

Abdeslam Laghrissi has predicted a 2-0 win for Morocco, saying: “Morocco will beat Lesotho 2-0.”