Morocco’s national football team began preparations for its two upcoming matches against Niger with its first training session at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Maâmora on Monday, November 9, ahead of the third and fourth rounds of the qualifiers for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
The opening session lasted around an hour and a half and included all 26 players called up by national team coach Mohamed Ouahbi. The squad followed a varied training program, with players split into two groups, one working on the pitch and the other taking part in specific sessions indoors.
Several key players featured in the session, including Achraf Hakimi, Nayef Aguerd, Noussair Mazraoui, Yassine Bounou and Brahim Diaz. The training also saw the return of several players to the national team, among them Youssef En-Nesyri and Soufiane El Karouani.
The session also featured a new face: Ayoub Oufkir, who took part in his first training session at the Mohammed VI Football Complex after earning the coaching staff’s confidence.
Morocco will face Niger in the first of their two matches on Friday, November 13, at the Mohammed V Sports Complex in Casablanca. The two teams will meet again on November 17 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
Morocco enter the matches at the top of Group A with six points, ahead of Gabon, Niger and Lesotho. The national team opened its qualifying campaign with back-to-back 2-0 wins against Gabon and Lesotho.
The coaching staff will be looking for a positive result on Friday to consolidate Morocco’s lead in the group and boost the players’ confidence ahead of the second match. The team also hopes to move closer to securing qualification for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations, which is scheduled to be held in East Africa next summer.
