The world will be watching as Morocco, the self-proclaimed kings of North African football, prepare to lay siege to Stade Prince Moulay Abdallah with Congo cast as the latest hopefuls to step into the lion's den. If you’re looking for parity, for an underdog story, or for anything resembling a balanced contest, turn away now—because this Morocco team is on a rampage that’s leaving the continent’s best trembling in their boots, and Congo is next in line for the slaughter.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Morocco is operating on another plane. Their last five matches read like a hit list. Four straight wins, including a ruthless 5-0 demolition of Niger, a cold-blooded 2-0 away victory over Zambia, and another clean sheet in their latest 1-0 friendly win against Bahrain. They’re not just winning—they’re eviscerating opponents, averaging over two goals a game and barely conceding a sniff at the other end. This isn’t a team playing with pressure. This is a side performing with the sort of arrogance you only get from knowing you’re the best in the business.
And what of Congo? The statistics are damning. Their two most recent fixtures—a limp 1-1 draw against Tanzania and a chastening 3-1 defeat to Niger—suggest a team in crisis, struggling for goals, cohesion, and belief. It’s no coincidence that they languish at the foot of Group E, winless, shipping goals like it’s a clearance sale, and scoring at a rate that insults the very notion of attack. The weight of recent history is crushing: the last time these two met, Morocco didn’t just win—they annihilated Congo 6-0 on Congolese soil. Imagine what might happen now, with the Atlas Lions stalking their prey in front of a feverish Rabat crowd.
For Morocco, it all starts—and often ends—with Youssef En-Nesyri. Here’s a striker who doesn’t just want goals, he demands them, forcing defenders to retreat six yards deeper than usual out of sheer terror. Three goals in his last three appearances, always popping up at the moment of truth, the living embodiment of clutch. Around him, the likes of Ismael Saibari and Ayoub El Kaabi provide the creative spark, while Hamza Igamane’s dynamism from midfield offers Morocco a vertical threat few in Africa can match. This is a team built to ruthlessly dominate, suffocate, and destroy—at home, away, it makes no difference.
Expect Morocco to press high, pin Congo back, and bombard their fragile back line with unrelenting waves of attack. The Atlas Lions’ tactical discipline under their current regime is second to none. They swarm the ball, choke off the passing lanes, and force errors until their opponents are gasping for air. Meanwhile, the defense is locked in—just two goals conceded in seven qualification matches, a record that’s simply obscene.
Now, let’s talk Congo. Where are the rays of hope? If you squint, you might point to Dechan Moussavou, who at least found the net against Tanzania. But Congo’s problems are systemic. Their midfield is outpaced and out-thought, their strikers are starved of service, and their defense, already leaking 23 goals in 7 matches, is about to face an onslaught for which there is simply no answer.
This isn’t just about points—it’s about pride, reputation, and the legacy of a new Moroccan golden generation. Morocco aren’t just trying to qualify; they’re gunning to set historic records, to go undefeated and untouchable in this group, and to send a warning shot to every would-be rival on the African continent and beyond. For Congo, the stakes are more existential—salvage a shred of dignity, keep the scoreline respectable, show that they belong on this stage. That’s the reality, and it’s a bitter pill.
Make no mistake: the only unknown here is the margin, not the outcome. Morocco to win, and win big—by three, four, maybe even five. Expect a festival of football, a statement of overwhelming power, and another step in Morocco’s relentless march toward World Cup glory. If Congo escapes with their pride intact, they should consider it a moral victory. But in this cauldron, against this Morocco, even hope seems like fantasy.