Niger and Lesotho to play 2027 Africa Cup of Nations home qualifiers in Morocco

Niger and Lesotho have asked the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) to host their home matches in Morocco during the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The decision follows the failure of their national stadiums to receive approval from the Confederation of African Football (CAF). As a result, both national teams have selected Morocco as the venue from which they will welcome their opponents in the qualifiers.

The arrangement will have a particular impact on Morocco, who are in the same group as Niger and Lesotho. Instead of travelling to face either side, Morocco will be able to play those fixtures on Moroccan soil, giving the Atlas Lions a significant advantage in their efforts to collect important qualification points in front of their home supporters.

For Achraf Hakimi and his Morocco team-mates, the decision also reduces the amount of travelling required during the international window. Their schedule will be made considerably more comfortable, with a large part of the group programme taking place in familiar surroundings.

Morocco’s only genuine away fixture during that period will be a trip to Libreville to face Gabon.

The choice of Morocco as a temporary home venue reflects the continued difficulty faced by national teams whose stadiums do not meet CAF’s approval requirements. Rather than surrendering home advantage completely, Niger and Lesotho have sought to stage their matches in a country able to provide an authorised setting for the qualifying fixtures.

That means both teams will still be listed as the home side for their respective matches, although the games will be played outside their own territory. Morocco, meanwhile, stands to benefit from playing against two group opponents without leaving the country.

The 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will therefore provide an unusual fixture situation for the group. Niger and Lesotho will effectively establish their home base in Morocco, while the Atlas Lions will have just one international journey away from home, to Gabon’s capital.

With the FRMF approached by both federations, Morocco has become the selected host country for those home fixtures. The arrangement places the country at the centre of the group’s qualifying schedule and gives its supporters the prospect of seeing more of their national team in domestic surroundings.