Morocco vs Mali prediction 26.12.2025 | Africa Cup of Nations

Morocco's only title in the Africa Cup of Nations came in 1976, and the fans hope that the team is now ready for another. In recent years, Morocco have become one of the prominent teams on the continent. This year, they successfully concluded the World Cup qualifications with an impressive eight wins from eight matches.

Before the Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco were on a remarkable run of six consecutive victories. They carried that momentum into the tournament, opening their campaign with a comfortable 2–0 win over Comoros. The hosts dominated the match with 70% possession and 12 shots on the goal, more than the opponent, leaving the visitors with little opportunity to claim any points.

Morocco had some problems breaking the deadlock against Comoros, but the head coach, Walid Regragui, was still satisfied. He said, "As soon as we scored our two goals, we took control. It's a good sign. It was important to win the first match in front of our supporters. It's a great way to start the tournament."

Morocco's captain, Romain Saiss, had to come out in the opening match of the tournament in the first half due to injury. If he can't play on Friday against Mali, we should expect Jawad El Yamiq to start. The good news for Morocco is that Achraf Hakimi could be ready for the upcoming game after skipping the previous match.

Mali have never won the Africa Cup of Nations, but they have reached the semi-finals on six occasions. At the previous tournament, they were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Ivory Coast. Les Aigles, as the national team is known, are once again considered among the strongest contenders to reach the latter stages of the competition.

However, although being considered one of the best teams on the continent, Mali had unsuccessful World Cup qualifiers and will not play in the USA, Mexico, and Canada next year. Tom Saintfiet's team was far from their best form recently as they won only two of the last five matches. In the opening round of the Africa Cup of Nations, Mali played 1-1 against Zambia. Saintfiet's team probably deserved all three points, but the opponents scored late in the second half and snatched a draw.

Mali's head coach, Tom Saintfiet, wasn't satisfied with a draw against Zambia. He said, "I would have preferred to take all three points against Zambia, especially after controlling the game for 90 minutes. This equaliser felt like a victory for Zambia and a defeat for us. Now we have to prepare properly for the next matches."

Mali have some injuries, too. Yves Bissouma and Sikou Niakate skipped the opening round and are uncertain for the upcoming clash against Morocco.