Morocco aim to maintain perfect start in 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying against Lesotho

Morocco face Lesotho on Tuesday in their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, with the Atlas Lions seeking another victory to remain top of their group.

The match will be played at the Free State Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa, with kick-off at 15:00 French time and 14:00 in Morocco.

Viewers in France can watch the game on beIN Sports 1. In Morocco, it will be broadcast on beIN Sports 3 Mena, Al Aoula and probably Arryadia.

Morocco began their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Gabon in Rabat on 25 September. They next face Ghana in a friendly in Tangier on 4 October, but Mohamed Ouahbi’s side’s immediate priority is to consolidate their position at the top of the group.

Lesotho, ranked 150th in the world, lost their opening qualifier 2-1 to Niger. Morocco have already met Lesotho twice, winning both matches during the qualifying campaign for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

Their first victory came in Agadir in September 2024, when Brahim Diaz scored in the 90th minute and three added minutes to secure a narrow 1-0 win. Morocco were far more convincing in the return fixture in Oujda two months later, winning 7-0. Diaz completed a hat-trick and Soufiane Rahimi scored twice.

Changes expected in Morocco line-up

Morocco are expected to make several changes for Tuesday’s match.

Nayef Aguerd, who remained at Maamora, is unavailable in central defence. Redouane Halhal, who did not come off the bench against Gabon, is in line to replace him.

Achraf Hakimi could return at right-back after completing his CAF suspension, with Ali Maamar potentially dropping out of the starting XI.

There may also be alterations in midfield. Ilias Akhomach could take the place of Gessime Yassine, while Abdellah Ouazane is in contention to make his first start.

Rahimi is expected to replace Yassir Zabiri in attack after Zabiri struggled to make an impact as the central striker against Gabon. Ismael Saibari remains suspended.

Morocco’s opening win over Gabon was secured without major difficulty. Noussair Mazraoui put them ahead in the 36th minute, heading in a chance created by Aguerd, before Rahimi doubled the advantage in the 84th minute after being set up by Bilal El Khannouss.