RABAT, Morocco (AP) — Morocco Crown Prince Moulay Hassan greeted the players before his country got the 35th Africa Cup of Nations underway on Sunday.
Excitement had been building for hours – and even the night before with a parade of fans through the capital city, Rabat. Wintry showers failed to dampen the mood. Beninese artist Angélique Kidjo, Moroccan singer Jaylann and French-Moroccan rapper Lartiste performed the tournament’s official song for the first
time Sunday during a spectacular light show for the opening ceremony.
“This will be the best ever Africa Cup of Nations!” FIFA president Gianni Infantino proclaimed in French while standing beside a portrait of Moroccan king Mohammed VI.
But the highlight for the Moroccan fans – judging by the sea of smartphones to capture the moment – was the appearance just before kickoff of King Mohammed VI's eldest son beside Infantino and Patrice Motsepe, the president of the Confederation of African Football. The prince shook hands with the Comoros players and then posed for a photo with the Morocco team, seemingly unperturbed by the heavy rainfall.
The Atlas Lions, as the home team is known, are among the favorites to lift what would be just their second Africa Cup title 50 years after their only success in 1976. The final is Jan. 18 next year.
They begin their campaign against island nation Comoros, a team ranked 108th in the world and making its second appearance in the competition.
“It's a superb match, an extraordinary occasion to get to know our team, our country,” Comoros coach Stefano Cusin said. “It's going to be a great evening of football.”
A dispute broke out on the sideline during the Comoros anthem before kickoff when some Comoros team members inadvertently lined up in front of photographers, restricting their view.
No host has lost the opening match of the tournament since Burkina Faso in 1998.
Morocco is the highest-ranked African team at No. 11. The Atlas Lions became the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022, and the country has embarked on one of the most aggressive infrastructure buildouts in African sporting history to establish itself as a soccer power. The Kingdom is also set to be a co-host of the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
The opening match was to be played in Rabat’s renovated near 70,000-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, one of nine venues across six cities that were constructed or renovated for the tournament.
Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi was named among the substitutes after recovering from an ankle injury. He showed his African Footballer of the Year trophy to fans before kickoff.
The mascot for the tournament is a lion named Assad, inspired by the barbary lions that once prowled the mountains of north Africa. The last known photograph of a wild lion in Morocco was taken by French army photographer Marcelin Flandrin from a flight over the Atlas Mountains in 1925.
Egypt was to begin its bid for a record-extending eighth title – and Mohamed Salah’s first – against Zimbabwe in Agadir on Monday. Defending champion Ivory Coast begins its title defense against Mozambique in Marrakech on Wednesday. Senegal and five-time champion Cameroon are also among the favorites, while Algeria is the only other country apart from Morocco to have all its matches sold out.
The future of the biennial tournament took a twist Saturday with the announcement it will move to a four-year cycle to bring it in line with the FIFA calendar.
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AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
