Pressure piles on hosts Morocco as they take on five-time champions Cameroon in AFCON’s heavyweight quarterfinal.
Who: Cameroon vs Morocco
What: CAF Africa Cup of Nations
Where: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco
When: Friday, January 9 at 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on media Sport from 16:00 GMT in advance of our live score and text commentary stream.
Few gave Cameroon much of a chance in the Africa Cup of Nations after off-the-field issues marred their build-up to the tournament but the Indomitable Lions stood firm in the face of adversity to reach the quarterfinals in Morocco.
The five-time champions are up against the hosts in Friday’s last-eight tie, knowing the pressure is firmly on the North Africans as they look to win a first AFCON title in 50 years in front of their home supporters.
With high-profile players such as Brahim Diaz, Achraf Hakimi, Bryan Mbeumo and Carlos Baleba involved, there will be no shortage of talent on display in Rabat.
Here’s everything you need to know about Cameroon vs Morocco:
What happened in Cameroon’s camp before the AFCON 2025?
Cameroon have spent the last 18 months embroiled in a bizarre battle of wills between their federation, headed by four-time African Footballer of the Year Samuel Eto’o, and the sports ministry, which employs the coach.
Head coach Marc Brys was employed against Eto’o’s wishes, and the pair sparred publicly throughout the 21 months that the Belgian managed the team. Brys had the backing of the government, which pays the team’s costs, leaving a frustrated Eto’o undermining his coach whenever he could but being unable to get rid of him.
Ultimately, Cameroon, who have been to more FIFA World Cups than any other African nation, had a dismal qualifying campaign and failed to make the cut for the 2026 edition.
World Cup qualification failure, combined with a landslide re-election win for Eto’o at about the same time, saw support for Brys suddenly fade, and he was fired three weeks before the AFCON. In his place, the unheralded David Pagou was appointed new coach, and a squad for AFCON was selected without captain Vincent Aboubakar or goalkeeper Andre Onana, who had previously expressed support for the sports minister.
How did Cameroon reach the AFCON quarterfinals?
Cameroon finished runners-up in Group F with two wins and a draw. They were tied on seven points with the Ivory Coast, but settled for the second spot on account of fewer goals scored than the table toppers.
In the round of 16, Cameroon beat South Africa 2-1, thanks to goals from Junior Tchamadeu and Christian Kofane.
What happened in Morocco’s camp?
Despite being tipped as overwhelming favourites, the World Cup 2022 semifinalists faced early criticism after a nervy opening-day win over minnows Comoros and a draw with Mali, before restoring confidence with a convincing 3-0 victory over Zambia in their final group match.
Coach Walid Regragui had apologised to frustrated fans for the team’s underwhelming performance, saying, “Moroccans are naturally emotional, they need confidence.”
Captain Hakimi urged fans to back them all the way through.
“If the fans are behind us we can be champions of Africa together,” he said.
How did Morocco reach the quarterfinals?
Morocco topped Group A with a similar record, bagging two wins and a draw for seven points.
They started their knockout campaign with a 1-0 win over Tanzania in the round of 16.
Who will the winner face in the next round?
The winner of the Cameroon vs Morocco match will face the winner of the Algeria vs Nigeria match in the semifinals. That game will be held on January 14 in Rabat.
Who are Cameroon’s best players?
Cameroon have not been among the most free-scoring sides, but a handful of individuals have stepped up to the task.
Teenage forward Christian Kofane has been the standout player, scoring twice at the tournament, including a decisive strike in the round-of-16 victory, to underline his growing importance to the Indomitable Lions. Cameroon were also fortunate during the group stage, benefitting from two own goals that helped keep their campaign on track.
Beyond Kofane, goals have come from Tchamadeu and Etta Eyong, while established star Bryan Mbeumo and emerging talent Carlos Baleba have both impressed, earning Player of the Match awards for their influential displays.
Who are Morocco’s best players?
Right winger Brahim Diaz has been Morocco’s standout performer at the AFCON 2025.
The Real Madrid player is the tournament’s top scorer with four goals, finding the net in each of Morocco’s four matches and underlining his status as their most decisive attacking threat.
Striker Ayoub El Kaabi has also caught the eye, with his acrobatic finishes drawing admiration from fans and pundits alike, chipping in with two goals to bolster Morocco’s front line.
Achraf Hakimi, widely regarded as the world’s best right-back, missed the first two matches due to an ankle injury, but is back to full match fitness, having made his first start of the tournament in the first knockout fixture.
Cameroon and Morocco form guides
Cameroon: W-W-D-W-L
Morocco: W-W-D-W-W
Head-to-head
Cameroon and Morocco have met in 13 previous encounters across competitive and friendly games.
Cameroon dominate the head-to-head record with seven wins, while four games ended in a draw. Morocco have won only twice.
When did Cameroon and Morocco last meet?
The teams last met in February 2021 at the Africa Nations Championship, commonly known as CHAN, in a semifinal tie. Morocco won that game 4-0.
Have Cameroon ever won an AFCON title?
Yes. Cameroon are one of Africa’s major forces in the tournament. They have won the title five times: 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002 and 2017.
They are the second-most successful team in AFCON behind Egypt, who have seven titles.
Have Morocco ever won an AFCON title?
Yes. Morocco won their first and only title in 1976. At that time, Morocco were only the second North African team to win the continental championship after Egypt.
Cameroon team news
Cameroon’s coach, David Pagou, could be without midfielder Darlin Yongwa after he came off injured only 21 minutes into the last-16 fixture.
Cameroon’s predicted lineup
Devis Epassy; Che Malone, Samuel Kotto, Nouhou Tolo; Junior Tchamadeu, Arthur Avom, Carlos Baleba, Mahamadou Nagida; Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Kofane, Danny Namaso
Morocco team news
Morocco coach Walid Regragui will be without attacking midfielder Azzedine Ounahi, who has been ruled out of the tournament with a calf injury.
“He has a tear in his calf and can’t play at the AFCON. He is unavailable for five to six weeks,” Regragui confirmed after the game against Tanzania. “He injured himself in training. It is an old injury that he had with Girona, and the scar has opened up again.”
Morocco’s predicted lineup
Yassine Bounou; Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Adam Masina, Noussair Mazraoui; Bilal El Khannouss, Neil El Aynaoui, Ismael Saibari; Brahim Diaz, Ayoub El Kaabi, Abde Ezzalzouli
