With Morocco vs Mali’s group game in focus, the numbers take centre stage. The statistical history between both teams at the Africa Cup of Nations has been defined by clear margins and long-standing trends.
Their only meeting at the AFCON finals came in the 2004 semi-finals, when Morocco recorded a 4–0 victory, a result that remains their joint-biggest win at the tournament and Mali’s joint-heaviest defeat on the continental stage.
Across all competitions, the two nations have met 20 times, with Morocco holding the edge: nine wins, five draws, and six defeats. The Atlas Lions have scored 36 goals and conceded 14 in those encounters, remaining unbeaten in the last three meetings and keeping clean sheets in each of them.
Morocco’s wider AFCON record underlines that control. The 2–0 victory over Comoros was their 30th win at the finals, achieved in their 75th appearance, and took their total goals tally at the tournament to 89. That result also extended their unbeaten run in AFCON group-stage matches to 12, with their last group defeat dating back to 2017.
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Historically, second group matches have rarely troubled Morocco. In 19 such fixtures at AFCON, they have suffered only three defeats, avoiding loss in 16 and winning eight. The most recent of those defeats came in 2012, while the 2008 edition remains the only finals in which Morocco won their opening game but failed to reach the knockout stages.
The numbers from their opening match reflected that authority. Morocco enjoyed 70% possession against Comoros, completed 582 of 647 passes at a 90% success rate, and registered seven shots on target.
Individually, Ayoub El Kaabi reached 30 international goals in his 61st appearance, while Brahim Díaz scored his first AFCON goal and ninth overall for Morocco in just 16 caps.
Mali’s AFCON figures show resilience rather than dominance. The draw with Zambia was their 22nd in 60 matches at the finals, with their overall record standing at 72 goals scored and 70 conceded.
Yet one statistic continues to define their tournament story: Mali have won just one of their 13 second group matches at AFCON, a 3–1 victory in 2004, and have failed to win any of the nine that have followed.
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