Lesotho challenge awaits 13 Morocco players on unfamiliar African stage

Thirteen Morocco players are set to make their first appearance for the national team on African soil when the Atlas Lions face Lesotho on Tuesday.

The Group 2 match in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers will be played at Toyota Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa. The fixture gives several members of Walid Regragui’s squad their first experience of representing Morocco outside the country on the continent.

The players involved are Anass Salah-Eddine, Issa Diop, Ali Maamar, Ayyoub Bouaddi, Neil El Aynaoui, Soufiane El Faouzi, Samir El Mourabet, Gessime Yassine, Abdellah Ouazane, Zakaria El Ouahdi, Yassir Zabiri, Tawfik Bentayeb and Redouane Halhal.

None of the 13 has previously played for Morocco in either a competitive or friendly international in another African country. Morocco have hosted many of their matches in recent years, making the meeting with Lesotho a significant first step for the younger players in the squad.

They will now have to adjust to the conditions of an away match elsewhere in Africa, while Morocco look to maintain their strong start to the qualifying campaign. The fixture also forms part of the national team’s effort to strengthen its squad and provide opportunities for a number of emerging players.

For Brahim Diaz, the match will represent a different experience. The midfielder has already played once for the Atlas Lions in Africa, having featured against Gabon during qualification for the previous edition of the Africa Cup of Nations.

Morocco will be seeking another away victory against Lesotho to remain at the top of the group and continue their positive progress in the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.

Abdeslam Laghrissi has predicted a 2-0 victory for Morocco, saying: “Morocco will beat Lesotho 2-0.”

The match is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, with Lesotho playing their second fixture of the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign against Morocco.

Listed match odds from 1xbet put a Lesotho win at 19.00, a draw at 11.00 and a Morocco victory at 1.00.