The Morocco national team has arrived in South Africa ahead of their second 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho. The squad landed in the early hours of Sunday morning after a direct charter flight from Rabat-Salé Airport, turning their focus to the match set for Tuesday at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein.
This follows a positive start to their qualifying campaign, a 2-0 victory over Gabon at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Noussair Mazraoui opened the scoring in the 36th minute, with Soufiane Rahimi sealing the win in the 84th. The team has now kept a clean sheet in their last four official matches, not conceding a single goal during this period.
Head coach Mohamed Ouahbi had warned that away fixtures in Africa present unique challenges, describing such experiences as useful for the squad's development. Ouahbi added that the team has significant motivation to win in Bloemfontein, especially after the positive result in the opening round. The team is scheduled to hold three training sessions in South Africa, with the first focused on recovery from the long journey.
Their most recent official match was a 2-0 defeat to France on July 9. The team's next fixture after Lesotho will be at home against Zambia in Rabat on October 8.
Mikia Kilati of the Lesotho Football Association told reporters: "Everyone will be watching because when you play against a player like Achraf Hakimi, and a Morocco side with players playing for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, it is a massive opportunity." Kilati explained that the Lesotho team, which lost its first qualifier, sees this match as a major challenge but also a chance to learn and perform against one of the continent's best sides.
The match represents a chance for Morocco to secure a second consecutive win in Group A. It is also an opportunity to strengthen their position at the top of the group before the next round.
Kick-off in Bloemfontein is at 15:00 local time on Tuesday, September 29.
