As Morocco prepares to begin its AFCON 2027 qualifying campaign, Gabon will provide the first challenge on Friday at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
The two nations are no strangers to one another. They have faced each other 20 times, producing a competitive history that stretches back several decades and includes World Cup qualifiers, AFCON qualifiers, tournament meetings and international friendlies.
The historical record gives Morocco the advantage, with the Atlas Lions winning 10 matches, while Gabon have recorded six victories. The remaining four encounters ended in draws.
Morocco Holds the Historical Advantage
The overall head-to-head record reflects a rivalry in which Morocco has generally enjoyed the better results.
Across their 20 previous meetings, the Atlas Lions have scored important victories in both competitive and friendly fixtures, including several decisive results in World Cup and AFCON qualifying.
Gabon, however, have also produced memorable performances against Morocco, meaning Friday’s encounter will carry its own significance despite the historical advantage held by the hosts.
Recent Meetings Have Favoured Morocco
The most recent encounters have strengthened Morocco’s position in the rivalry.
The Atlas Lions defeated Gabon 5–1 on November 15, 2024, in AFCON 2025 qualifying, following another convincing 4–1 victory over the same opponent on September 6, 2024.
Those two results gave Morocco a combined 9–2 advantage across the latest two meetings.
Gabon’s most recent victory came earlier, on October 15, 2019, when they defeated Morocco 3–2 in a friendly at the Ibn Batouta Stadium in Tangier.
A History Stretching Back to 1988
The rivalry between the two nations dates back to December 15, 1988, when Morocco recorded a 5–2 victory in a friendly.
Another meeting followed in 1993, with the Atlas Lions winning 1–0 before the two sides faced each other twice during the 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Morocco won both of those encounters, including a commanding 4–0 victory in Libreville.
The two teams would continue to cross paths regularly in the following decades, building a long competitive history across African football.
World Cup and AFCON Qualifiers
Several of the most important meetings have come in qualification campaigns.
Morocco and Gabon met during the 2002 AFCON qualifiers, with each side recording a victory. The Atlas Lions then won both of their matches during the 2004 AFCON qualifying campaign.
The rivalry continued during the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, when Gabon won both encounters.
Morocco responded in the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, winning 3–0 in Casablanca after the two teams had played out a goalless draw in Libreville.
Four Draws Complete the Record
While both nations have enjoyed periods of dominance, several meetings have ended without a winner.
The teams drew 1–1 in 2014, before playing out another goalless draw in the 2016 World Cup qualifiers.
They also shared the points in the 2016 African Nations Championship, with the match ending 0–0, while their most recent draw came at the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, when the sides played out a 2–2 thriller in January 2022.
Those four draws underline how competitive parts of the rivalry have been despite Morocco's overall advantage.
Another Chapter Begins in Rabat
The numbers provide the historical context, but Friday’s meeting will create a completely new chapter in the rivalry.
Morocco will enter the contest looking to build on its two victories over Gabon in 2024, while the visitors will hope to produce a different result this time around.
With the AFCON 2027 qualifiers beginning at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, the Atlas Lions have the opportunity to turn their favourable recent record into a strong start to another continental campaign.