DR ‹ › On Friday, the Atlas Lions face Mali in their second Group A match of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat (kick-off 21:00). This will be only the second AFCON meeting between the two sides, following their 2004 semi-final, when Morocco swept Mali 4–0, their joint-biggest win at the tournament and Mali's heaviest defeat at the finals, accoridng to stats shared by CAF. Overall, the rivals have met 20 times, with Morocco recording 9 wins, 5 draws, and 6 defeats. Across those encounters, Morocco have scored 36 goals, compared to 14 for Mali. In the Atlas Lions' last three matches against Mali, Morocco claimed two wins and one draw, keeping clean sheets in all three games. Their last defeat against Mali dates back to 2006. Mali remain unbeaten in 11 AFCON group-stage matches (5 wins, 6 draws) and have never lost an opening game at the tournament. However, they traditionally struggle in the second group match: in 13 such games, Mali have managed just one win, which came in 2004. Since then, they have recorded seven draws and five defeats. Morocco opened the tournament with a 2–0 victory over Comoros, while Mali were held to a 1–1 draw by Zambia.
