Morocco’s defender #02 Achraf Hakimi sits on the substitutes bench during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) Group A football match between Morocco and Mali at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on December 26, 2025. (Photo by Gabriel BOUYS / AFP via Getty Images)
Morocco coach, Walid Regragui has confirmed that newly-crowned African Footballer of the Year, Achraf Hakimi will play his first game at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) on Monday.
Morocco have been strengthened with Hakimi’s return ahead of their face-off against Zambia at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on Monday.
The Paris Saint-Germain left-back has been out of action since the UEFA Champions League game against Bayrrn Munich in November.
Hakimi has now returned to full fitness and Regragui has declared that the defender is now set to make his mark in the tournament after featuring as unused substitute in the first two games.
“What he has done to come back is extraordinary. What I can say is that Achraf will play tomorrow,” Regragui told the media.
“Whether he starts or not it will be his first match at the AFCON.
“What we want — because we want to go as far as possible — is that Achraf progresses with the team and that we can keep him for the whole competition.
Morocco are through to the next round of the competition but would need a win against Zambia to guarantee their spot as Group A leaders.
They started their campaign with a 2-0 win against Comoros but a 1-1 draw against Mali halted their impressive 19-game winning run at home.
The result against the Eagles of Mali resulted in jeers from Moroccan supporters who were far from being impressed with their country’s performance.
Monday’s game would be the fourth game between Morocco and Zambia on the AFCON stage with the last three results ending in two wins for the Atlas Lions and a draw.
The most recent game was in the Ivory Coast in 2023 with Hakim Ziyech scoring the only goal in a 1-0 win for Morocco.
