Morocco Stars express gratitude to King Mohammed VI and fans after AFCON 2025 final

Members of the Moroccan national team have expressed heartfelt appreciation to King Mohammed VI following the reception accorded to the Atlas Lions at the Royal Palace, hosted by Prince Moulay Rachid.

The players reflected on their pride in representing the nation despite the disappointment of falling short in the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 final.

Team captain Achraf Hakimi led the tributes, thanking the King for the warm reception while acknowledging the pain of missing out on the continental title.

“We thank His Majesty King Mohammed VI for receiving us at the Royal Palace. We are disappointed by what happened yesterday, but we are proud to represent Moroccans. None of us spared any effort on the field, but unfortunately, we did not succeed in achieving the title that was our goal from the beginning, and we will continue to work to make the Moroccan public happy in the next World Cup,” he said.

Midfielder Nael El Aynaoui also turned his attention to the supporters, expressing gratitude for their unwavering backing throughout the competition and beyond.

“We thank the Moroccan fans for their support in this tournament and throughout the past years. Now, we must focus on the future and move past what happened,” he shared.

Goalkeeper Yassine Bounou echoed similar sentiments, underlining the quality of the team’s performance and the importance of building on it going forward.

“We thank His Majesty the King for this reception. We had hoped to come with the trophy in our hands, but it wasn’t meant to be. The players delivered a great performance and deserve recognition, and we must continue working to achieve even better results in the future and bring joy to the Moroccan people and His Majesty the King,” Bonou stated.

The remarks were made on the sidelines of the official reception hosted by Prince Moulay Rachid on Monday at the Guest Palace in Rabat, held in honour of the national team following their appearance in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.