The Morocco AFCON 2023 squad is out – and the Atlas Lions are favourites to win the tournament after their brilliant run to the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar
The Morocco AFCON 2023 squad has been announced ahead of the tournament kicking off.
In December 2022, Morocco became the first African country to reach the last four of a World Cup. It was a momentous achievement for a side many predicted to exit at the group stage.
Their preparations for the tournament had been disrupted by the decision to change manager in August, with Walid Regragui brought in amid concerns about the way his predecessor had alienated some of the squad's best players.
Morocco celebrate at AFCON (Image credit: Getty Images)
It proved to be a masterstroke as team spirit, defensive solidity and quality in key areas took Morocco much further than anyone expected. Up until their eventual defeat by France, they had conceded just one goal in five games.
The Atlas Lions continued their impressive form in 2023, which started with a 2-1 win over Brazil. They lost once last year and are currently ranked as the 13th best national team in the world by FIFA. After thriving as underdogs, they now face increased expectations as the favourites to win AFCON. Morocco were last named champions of Africa 48 years ago and have only reached one final since then.
As they target success, key members of the World Cup squad, such as Yassine Bounou, Achraf Hakimi, Romain Saiss, Sofyan Amrabat and Hakim Ziyech, will be heavily relied upon again.
Achraf Hakimi pursues Brazil's Vinicius Junior (Image credit: Getty Images)
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Morocco yellow cards
1 yellow: Romain Saiss, Mohamed Chibi
Morocco manager
Who is Morocco's manager for AFCON 2023?
Walid Regragui (Image credit: Getty Images)
Walid Regragui was parachuted in at late notice ahead of the 2022 World Cup following the dismissal of Vahid Halihodzic. Despite some criticism of his appointment, the former Moroccan international led his country on a remarkable run to the semi-finals, seeing off Spain and Portugal along the way.
Morocco star player
Who is Morocco's best player?
Achraf Hakimi (Image credit: Getty Images)
Achraf Hakimi has everything a modern full-back needs. Quick, committed, comfortable on the ball and a serious threat going forward, he's one of the world's best defenders. A product of the Real Madrid youth academy, he has since impressed for Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan and current club PSG.
How many players are Morocco allowed to take to AFCON 2023?
Managers are allowed to call up f 27 players for this tournament. The last AFCON saw 28-man squads used to allow teams to deal with any COVID-19 cases. Prior to that, 23-man squads had been the norm.
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Sean Cole is a freelance journalist. He has written for FourFourTwo, BBC Sport and When Saturday Comes among others. A Birmingham City supporter and staunch Nikola Zigic advocate, he once scored a hat-trick at St. Andrew’s (in a half-time game). He also has far too many football shirts and spends far too much time reading the Wikipedia pages of obscure players.
