Morocco replace cancelled Ghana friendly with Mali clash

Morocco will face Mali in an international friendly on Sunday, October 4, after their planned meeting with Ghana was cancelled.

The Atlas Lions were originally scheduled to play Ghana’s Black Stars during the October international window, but that fixture will no longer take place.

With Morocco left without an opponent, Mali have now stepped in after the Malian Football Federation confirmed that their previously scheduled friendly against Tunisia had also been called off.

The Eagles of Mali will therefore travel to Morocco for the new encounter, with the match set to be played at the Grand Stadium of Tangier at 6:00pm GMT.

The development means Morocco have quickly found a replacement fixture after the cancellation of their proposed meeting with Ghana, while Mali have also adjusted their schedule after losing their planned clash with Tunisia.

The friendly will provide Morocco with another opportunity to test their squad during the international break, while Mali will use the encounter to assess their team against one of Africa’s leading sides.

Both nations enter the fixture with positive momentum from their opening two matches in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Morocco won both of their qualifying matches, while Mali also secured victories in their opening two games.

Ghana, meanwhile, have endured a difficult start to their qualifying campaign, suffering consecutive defeats and failing to collect a point from their opening two matches.

The Black Stars were beaten 2-0 by Ivory Coast in their opening fixture before suffering a dramatic 4-2 home defeat to The Gambia at the Accra Sports Stadium.

The cancellation of the Morocco-Ghana friendly means the two sides will not meet during the October international window, with Morocco instead preparing to welcome Mali to Tangier on Sunday.

For the Atlas Lions, the Mali clash will offer another competitive test, while the Eagles will be looking to maintain the confidence generated by their strong start to the AFCON qualifying campaign.