Moroccan football team first side to arrive in Ivory Coast for Afcon

The Moroccan national football team arrived on Sunday in San Pedro, a city in southwestern Ivory Coast, for the 34th edition of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations, which will take place from January 13 to February 11.

The Moroccan team is the first side to arrive in Ivory Coast to compete in the continental tournament, outside the host nation, CAF said. The Atlas Lions are part of Group F, alongside DR Congo, Zambia and Tanzania.

Before arriving in San Pedro, the Atlas Lions landed in Abidjan where they were welcomed by the king's ambassador to Côte d'Ivoire, Abdelmalek Kettani, who was accompanied by the Ivorian Minister of Transport, Amadou Koné, and members of the Moroccan embassy.

At San Pedro airport, members of the Moroccan community established in Ivory Coast came to welcome the Atlas Lions.

According to the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, the Atlas Lions will play a warm-up match against Sierra Leon on January 11, replacing the match against Gambia initially scheduled for January 7.

The Atlas Lions will have ten days of acclimatization in the coastal city of San Pedro before their first match on January 17 against Tanzania at the Laurent Pokou Stadium. Their second match is scheduled against DR Congo on January 21, followed by their last group game against Zambia on January 24, CAF said.