CAN THE LIONS OF THE ATLAS MISS THEIR AFRICA CUP?
The question, long considered almost sacrilegious, is now beginning to impose itself in Moroccan football debate. After the frustrating draw against Mali, a growing sense of concern is spreading through the stands, TV panels and social media: what if Morocco is making its own Africa Cup more complicated, not because of a lack of talent, but because of questionable technical choices?
Huge potential… underused
Never has Morocco entered an Africa Cup with such a deep pool of players. Between established leaders, young talents in full rise, and a U20 generation crowned world champions, the Lions of the Atlas have a level of depth that is rare on the continental stage.
And yet, on the pitch, the picture is troubling: predictable play, a lack of attacking boldness, stereotyped movement, and a persistent feeling that some players are selected more out of loyalty than current performance.
Stubbornness as a guiding line
Walid Regragui, the architect of the historic 2022 World Cup run, quite rightly enjoys a huge amount of trust. But that legitimacy cannot justify everything. Since the start of CAN 2025, the head coach appears trapped by his own certainties, repeatedly fielding a core group that struggles to create danger against well organized and supposedly weaker teams.
Even more worrying is the feeling that the hierarchy is frozen. Some players with average output continue to start match after match, while others, who are shining at club level, remain confined to bit parts, or even left out of the squad.
The Othmane Maamma case, a symbol of a deeper problem
In this context, it is hard not to mention Othmane Maamma. U20 world champion and a breakout talent of his generation, the young Moroccan forward is currently enjoying an outstanding season in England, delivering performances, goals and individual awards. Powerful, explosive and unpredictable, he represents exactly what the Moroccan attack is missing today: penetration, creativity and boldness.
His absence from the very start of the sporting thinking around the Africa Cup raises questions. How can a player performing at such a level, forged in international competition and used to pressure, not even be part of the rotation? For many, Maamma is not an isolated case, but the symbol of a generation sacrificed on the altar of conservatism.
An Africa Cup is not won with the past
African football has evolved. Morocco’s opponents analyze, adapt and precisely target the strengths and weaknesses of the Lions of the Atlas. Relying only on old automatisms and on the memory of a World Cup achievement can quickly become a trap.
The Africa Cup is won through courageous choices, constant self questioning and the ability to inject fresh blood at the right moment. The competition’s history is full of favorites who were eliminated not because they were weaker, but because they refused to evolve.
Time is running out
Morocco is not yet in immediate danger. Qualification remains within reach, and the favorite status is still intact on paper. But the warning sign is real. If Walid Regragui persists in a rigid reading of his squad, if he continues to sideline talents capable of changing a match, then yes, even at home, the Lions of the Atlas could miss their Africa Cup.
CAN 2025 will forgive neither stubbornness nor caution. Moroccan fans do not only expect results, they expect a team that lives up to its potential. And that potential, today, is only waiting to be unleashed.
Translated from Abderrazzak Boussaid’s French article – le7tv
