The Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 enters its most intense phase today, Sunday, January 4, 2026, as the host nation Morocco takes on Tanzania in a high-stakes Round of 16 clash. For Morocco, anything less than a convincing win would be a national disappointment; for Tanzania, this match is a historic free-hit after reaching the knockout stages for the first time in 45 years.
The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat is expected to be a sea of red as 60,000 fans gather to cheer on the tournament favorites.
Match Details: Kick-off & How to Watch
Competition: AFCON 2025 (Round of 16)
Date: Sunday, January 4, 2026
Kick-off: 17:00 Local / 16:00 GMT / 19:00 EAT
Venue: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco
Referee: Dahane Beida (Mauritania)
Broadcast: beIN SPORTS (Global), Arryadia (Morocco), TBC (Tanzania), Canal+ Afrique
The Storyline: Heavyweight Favorites vs. The Ultimate Underdog
Morocco: The Host’s Burden of Excellence
Walid Regragui’s Morocco cruised through the group stage, finishing top of Group A with 7 points. Their campaign began with a 2–0 win over Comoros, followed by a tactical 1–1 draw against Mali, and culminated in a dominant 3–0 thrashing of Zambia.
The Atlas Lions are playing with a swagger that suggests they are ready to end their 50-year wait for a continental title. With Brahim Díaz scoring in three consecutive matches and Ayoub El Kaabi in red-hot form, Morocco looks like a balanced scoring machine.
Tanzania: Making History with Grit
Tanzania arrived in the Round of 16 by the narrowest of margins. After a 2–1 loss to Nigeria and a 1–1 draw with Uganda, they secured a heroic 1–1 draw against Tunisia on Matchday 3. A sensational long-range "missile" from Feisal Salum (Fei Toto) proved to be the goal that rewrote history, allowing the Taifa Stars to advance as one of the best third-placed teams with just 2 points.
They are the lowest-ranked team remaining in the competition, but under coach Hemed Suleiman, they have developed a "never-say-die" attitude that could prove dangerous in a one-off knockout game.
Team News & Key Absentees
Morocco Team News
Injury Concern: Veteran defender Romain Saïss is ruled out after suffering a muscle strain during the group stage.
The Hakimi Situation: Achraf Hakimi returned as a second-half substitute against Zambia. While he is fit, Regragui may choose to start Anass Salah-Eddine to ensure Hakimi is 100% for a potential quarter-final.
The Attack: Brahim Díaz and Ayoub El Kaabi are certain starters, with the latter coming off a magnificent brace.
Predicted XI (4-3-3): Bounou; Salah-Eddine, El Yamiq, Aguerd, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, El Aynaoui; Saibari, El Kaabi, Díaz.
Tanzania Team News
Full Strength: Tanzania has no fresh injury concerns following their physical battle with Tunisia.
Key Players: Mbwana Samatta will lead the line, looking to use his European experience to unsettle the Moroccan defense. Feisal Salum remains the creative spark in midfield.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Masalanga; Job, Mwamnyeto, Hamad, Hussein; Miroshi, Msanga; Msuva, Salum, Mnoga; Samatta.
Head-to-Head (H2H) & Stats
Domination: Morocco has won 7 out of their 8 all-time meetings with Tanzania.
Recent History: The two sides met in the 2023 AFCON group stage, where Morocco won comfortably 3–0.
Clean Sheets: Tanzania has failed to score in their last four matches against Morocco.
The "Fei Toto" Factor: Feisal Salum became the first Tanzanian player based in the domestic league to score at AFCON since 1980.
Tactical Analysis: Humility vs. Heroics
Mikel Arteta once said football is about "controlling the chaos," and Walid Regragui has echoed this, urging his team to remain humble. Morocco will likely dominate possession (averaging 62% in the group stage) and use their technical superiority to break down Tanzania's low block.
Tanzania’s best chance is to survive the first 30 minutes and frustrate the home crowd. If they can keep the game at 0–0 heading into the final stages, they have the pace to hurt Morocco on the counter-attack, especially with the Atlas Lions' high defensive line.
Match Prediction
Tanzania has already won by just being here, but the gap in quality between the hosts and the debutant knockout-qualifiers is vast. Backed by a partisan crowd and featuring players in the form of their lives, Morocco should navigate this comfortably.
Final Score Prediction: Morocco 3–0 Tanzania
