RABAT – Hosts Morocco and knockout-round debutants Tanzania meet in a high-stakes CAF Africa Cup of Nations Round of 16 clash at the Complexe Sportif Prince Moulay Abdellah on January 4 in Rabat.
This is the second AFCON meeting between the two nations, following their group-stage encounter at the 2023 edition. Morocco won that match 3-0 and went on to finish as group winners, while Tanzania ended bottom of the group.
Tanzania is facing a host nation for the second time at AFCON, having previously lost 3-1 to Nigeria in Lagos in their opening match of the 1980 tournament.
Overall, the sides have met eight times in all competitions. Morocco has won seven of those meetings, including the last five in succession, while Tanzania has recorded one victory.
There have been no draws. Morocco have scored in all eight meetings and have kept all five clean sheets recorded in the fixture. Tanzania have failed to score in their last four matches against Morocco.
Tanzania’s only win over Morocco came in a 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier, a 3-1 home victory on 24 March 2013 in Dar es Salaam.
Thomas Ulimwengu and a brace from Mbwana Samatta secured the win, while Youssef El Arabi scored Morocco’s consolation goal in the 90th minute. Morocco won the return fixture 2-1 at home in June 2013, though neither team qualified for the tournament in Brazil.
The teams were also drawn together in qualifying for the 2012 AFCON, with Morocco winning 1-0 away and 3-1 at home to qualify ahead of Tanzania. They later met in qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Morocco winning 2-0 away on November 21, 2023, Hakim Ziyech scoring in the 28th minute before Bakari Mwamnyeto put through his own goal in the 54th.
Morocco won the return fixture 2-0 in Oujda on March 25, 2025, with goals from Nayef Aguerd in the 51st minute and Brahim Diaz from the penalty spot in the 58th.
Their most recent meeting came in the quarter-finals of the 2024 TotalEnergies African Nations Championship on August 22, 2025, where Morocco went on to win the title after defeating co-hosts Tanzania 1-0, Oussama Lamiloui scoring the winning goal in the 65th minute.
This is Tanzania’s fifth meeting with a North African team at AFCON. They lost their first three such encounters against Egypt in 1980, Algeria in 2019 and Morocco in 2023, before drawing with Tunisia at the current edition.
Tanzania has conceded a goal in each of their four AFCON matches against North African opposition.
Morocco is the second team Tanzania has faced twice at AFCON, after Nigeria, whom they met in 1980 and again at the current edition.
