Christmas Break Halts AFCON Briefly as Group Stage Resumes on Boxing Day
The Africa Cup of Nations took a short pause on Christmas Day, offering teams and fans a brief breather before the group stage action resumes on Boxing Day in Morocco.
The tournament kicked off on Sunday and the opening four days unfolded largely as expected, with several pre-tournament favourites making strong statements in their first matches.
For hosts Morocco, however, their opening win brought more relief than celebration. The Atlas Lions were made to work hard before securing a 2-0 victory over Comoros, having faced sustained pressure for long spells of the game.
Morocco have poured significant investment into football infrastructure for the competition, with one eye also on co-hosting the 2030 World Cup. That ambition has heightened expectations on the national team to deliver continental success on home soil.
Despite being widely tipped to lift the trophy, Morocco carry a history of underachievement at AFCON, having won the tournament just once, nearly five decades ago. They return to action on Friday with a far sterner test against Mali in Rabat in their second Group A fixture.
Much of the attention will be on captain Achraf Hakimi, who recently returned to training after recovering from an ankle injury sustained in Champions League action with Paris Saint-Germain. The newly crowned African Footballer of the Year could feature on Boxing Day.
Elsewhere, the spotlight remains on Egypt forward Mohamed Salah. After recent tensions at club level, the AFCON has offered him a chance to reset, and he delivered in dramatic fashion on Monday by scoring a late winner as Egypt came from behind to defeat Zimbabwe.
Egypt will aim to build on that momentum when they face South Africa in Agadir on Friday.
Several title contenders enjoyed convincing starts this week. Algeria and Senegal impressed in their opening outings, while victories were also recorded by defending champions Ivory Coast, former winners Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria, and Tunisia.
The group stage will conclude on December 31, with the knockout phase beginning on January 3. The final of the tournament is scheduled for January 18.
