Best tags: AFCON 2025, Morocco vs Mali, Atlas Lions, Eagles of Mali, African football, Rabat, Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, group stage, broadcasters
Morocco return to the pitch on Friday evening determined to tighten their grip on qualification when they face Mali in Rabat on the second matchday of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations group phase.
The encounter will take place at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, the same venue that hosted the hosts’ opening fixture.
Kick-off is scheduled for 9pm French time, corresponding to 8pm in Bamako.
Viewers in France can follow the match live on beIN Sports 1, while audiences in Morocco will be able to watch on Arryadia and beIN Sports Mena.
In Mali, the national broadcaster ORTM will carry the coverage.
Morocco began their campaign with a 2-0 success against Comoros, a result that placed them at the top end of their group while underlining their ambition to make a deep run on home soil.
The performance, however, was not without its setbacks.
Central defender Romain Saïss sustained a minor muscle strain and is set to miss Friday’s match, with the possibility that he may also be unavailable beyond that.
His absence will oblige the technical staff to reshuffle the back line, a test of depth that the Atlas Lions had hoped to avoid so early in the tournament.
There was more encouraging news on the training pitches this week, where Hamza Igamane and Achraf Hakimi both took part fully in the latest sessions.
Their involvement has raised the prospect of first appearances at this year’s finals, adding further intrigue to a contest already laden with narrative.
The occasion is expected to draw notable figures to the stands, with Kylian Mbappé tipped to attend in support of a close friend from his Paris Saint-Germain days, giving the night an added touch of glamour.
For Mali, the stakes are equally high but tinged with urgency.
Their opening match ended in a 1-1 draw against Zambia after conceding in the dying moments, a blow that left the Eagles frustrated and under pressure to respond.
Another slip could leave their qualification hopes hanging by a thread.
RAS pour Achraf Hakimi ✅
Séance d’entraînement normale et souriante avec les Lions de l’Atlas 🇲🇦🦁 #MARMAL #CAN2025 pic.twitter.com/47sNge5G1e— Afrik-Foot (@afrikfoot) December 25, 2025
Captain Hamari Traoré remains sidelined through injury, depriving the side of a key leader at the back.
Yet there is compensation in the shape of returning figures, with Yves Bissouma and Sikou Niakaté back in contention to reinforce the spine of the team.
Their availability offers a timely boost to a squad seeking to rediscover its balance after a nervy start.
Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet has been clear about his intentions, insisting that he will not instruct his team to “park the bus” against the hosts.
That statement points towards a more open and assertive approach, promising a contest played at tempo rather than one-way traffic.
Moroccan supporters, renowned for their long memories, will recall that Saintfiet once guided Gambia to a 1-0 friendly victory over Morocco in June 2019, a result that still lingers as a rare blemish against African opposition.
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With qualification potentially on the line for both sides, Rabat is braced for a meeting that could shape the trajectory of the group.
Morocco aim to assert their authority in front of a partisan crowd, while Mali arrive knowing that resilience alone will not suffice.
Everything is in place for a night that could become one of the early defining moments of the tournament.
