Mustafa Hajji identifies why Morocco’s World Cup form has not translated to the Africa Cup of Nations

Mustafa Hajji says Morocco’s struggles at the Africa Cup of Nations are partly explained by the difficulty Europe-based players face adapting to African conditions.

The former Morocco international made the assessment in a filmed interview with Kooora, which will be published at a later date. He pointed to the contrast between the national team’s performances at the World Cup and in Africa’s leading international tournament.

Morocco reached the semi-finals of the 2022 World Cup, the best result ever achieved by an Arab or African team, and continued their strong progress by reaching the quarter-finals at the following edition.

Their record at the Africa Cup of Nations has been far less impressive. Morocco have won the competition only once in 20 editions, in 1976, meaning it has now been 50 years since their sole triumph. The identity of the 2025 champions remains subject to a decision by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Morocco have reached the Africa Cup of Nations final twice since their 1976 success. They were beaten by hosts Tunisia in the 2004 final and also reached the final of the 2025 edition.

Hajji said: “90% of Morocco’s players are originally from Europe and they do not know how to play on African pitches.”

He contrasted Morocco’s situation with that of Egypt, the most successful country in Africa Cup of Nations history. According to Hajji, Egypt’s players benefit from growing up in the continent and becoming familiar with its conditions from an early age.

“Take 90% of the Egyptian national team, for example. They are Egyptians who grew up in Egypt and became accustomed to the nature of the conditions in Africa,” he said.

Hajji also highlighted Morocco’s record in different host countries, saying their two final appearances had come in Tunisia in 2004 and Morocco in 2025.

“Morocco reached the Africa Cup final twice, in Tunisia in 2004 and in Morocco in 2025, but they fail whenever the tournament is held in non-Arab countries with difficult conditions, such as Gabon and Cameroon,” he added.

The former Morocco player believes the issue extends beyond adapting to the playing environment. He said Europe-based members of the squad also lacked the same motivation when representing their country in Africa as they did on the global stage.

“Morocco’s players who come from Europe also lack motivation whenever they play in Africa, unlike when it comes to the World Cup,” Hajji said. “We hope this situation changes in the future.”