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12/21 12:43 CST Morocco opens 35th Africa Cup of Nations with spectacular light
show
Morocco opens 35th Africa Cup of Nations with spectacular light show
By CIARAN FAHEY
AP Sports Writer
RABAT, Morocco (AP) --- Excited red-and-green clad fans made their way to the
stadium hours before kickoff as Morocco opened the 35th Africa Cup of Nations
on Sunday.
The party started the night before with a parade of fans through the capital
city, Rabat. Wintry showers failed to spoil the mood. Beninese artist Anglique
Kidjo, Moroccan singer Jaylann and French-Moroccan rapper Lartiste performed
the tournament's official song for the first time Sunday during a spectacular
light show for the opening ceremony.
"This will be the best ever Africa Cup of Nations!" FIFA president Gianni
Infantino proclaimed in French while standing beside a portrait of Moroccan
king Mohammed VI.
The Atlas Lions, as the home team is known, are among the favorites to lift
what would be just their second Africa Cup title 50 years after their only
success in 1976. The final is Jan. 18 next year.
They begin their campaign against island nation Comoros, a team ranked 108th in
the world and making its second appearance in the competition.
"It's a superb match, an extraordinary occasion to get to know our team, our
country," Comoros coach Stefano Cusin said. "It's going to be a great evening
of football."
No host has lost the opening match of the tournament since Burkina Faso in 1998.
Morocco is the highest-ranked African team at No. 11. The Atlas Lions became
the first African team to reach the World Cup semifinals in 2022, and the
country has embarked on one of the most aggressive infrastructure buildouts in
African sporting history to establish itself as a soccer power. The Kingdom is
also set to be a co-host of the 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal.
The opening match was to be played in Rabat's renovated near 70,000-capacity
Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, one of nine venues across six cities that were
constructed or renovated for the tournament.
Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi was named among the substitutes after recovering
from an ankle injury. He showed his African Footballer of the Year trophy to
fans before the opening game's kickoff.
The mascot for the tournament is a lion named Assad, inspired by the barbary
lions that once prowled the mountains of north Africa. The last known
photograph of a wild lion in Morocco was taken by French army photographer
Marcelin Flandrin from a flight over the Atlas Mountains in 1925.
Egypt was to begin its bid for a record-extending eighth title -- and Mohamed
Salah's first -- against Zimbabwe in Agadir on Monday. Defending champion Ivory
Coast begins its title defense against Mozambique in Marrakech on Wednesday.
Senegal and five-time champion Cameroon are also among the favorites, while
Algeria is the only other country apart from Morocco to have all its matches
sold out.
The future of the biennial tournament took a twist Saturday with the
announcement it will move to a four-year cycle to bring it in line with the
FIFA calendar.
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AP at the Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
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