TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 Group A

Mali and Comoros will close out their Group A campaigns at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 when they meet at the Mohamed V Stadium in Casablanca on 29 December. Kick-off is at 20h00 local time (19h00 GMT), reports CAFonline.

After two matches at the tournament, Comoros remain winless with one draw and one defeat, while Mali are unbeaten, having recorded one win and one draw.

The teams have only previously met in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying.

Mali won both meetings between the sides in 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying, recording 3–0 victories in each encounter.

Both matches were played in Berkane, Morocco. In the first meeting on 20 March 2025, Dorgeles Nene scored once and Kamory Doumbia netted a brace as Mali secured a 3–0 win.

The return fixture on 4 September 2025 again ended 3–0 in Mali’s favour, with Nene and Doumbia once more on the scoresheet. Lassana Coulibaly scored Mali’s other goal.

Neither team progressed to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with Ghana advancing from Qualifying Group I.

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS

OVERALL
Comoros: P2 W0 D0 L2 GF0 GA6 GD-6
Mali: P2 W2 D0 L0 GF6 GA0 GD+6

Comoros – Key Statistics

• Drew their last match 0–0 against Zambia.
• The draw against Zambia saw them keep their first AFCON clean sheet in their fifth match at the finals.
• Are now three matches without a win at AFCON, their longest winless run at the finals.
• Their only previous third group match came in 2021, when they recorded their only AFCON victory, a 3–2 win over Ghana that saw them progress to the round of 16.
• In that third group match in 2021, they took a fourth-minute lead through El Fardou Ben Nabouhane, before Ahmed Mogni scored a brace in the 62nd minute and the match-winner in the 85th minute against Ghana.
• This is the first time Comoros have avoided defeat in their opening two matches at AFCON; in 2021 they lost their first two games.
• For a second finals in a row, they have failed to score in their opening two matches. In 2021 they lost 1–0 and 2–0 against Gabon and Morocco before defeating Ghana.
• Comoros have failed to score in 67% of their AFCON matches, failing to find the net in four of their six games.
• They attempted 10 shots against Zambia, with only one on target.
• Myziane Maolida registered Comoros’ only shot on target against Zambia.
• Zaydou Youssouf attempted 69 passes against Zambia, the highest total by a Comorian player across either of their two matches at AFCON 2025.
• Youssouf also had three shots against Zambia, the most by any Comoros player in the match.
• The game against Zambia marked the first time in six AFCON matches that Comoros did not face a shot on target.

Mali – Key Statistics

• Drew their last match 1–1 against Morocco.
• Have drawn 14 of their 27 AFCON matches since the 2013 edition (W8 L5), the second-highest total behind DR Congo.
• The match against Morocco marked the third successive AFCON tournament in which Mali have featured in at least one game where they both scored and conceded.
• Mali are the only team to have both scored and conceded a penalty in the same AFCON match on multiple occasions since 2019, also doing so against Mauritania in 2019 and Gambia in 2021.
• They have not lost any of the three matches in which they have both scored and conceded a penalty since 2019 (D2 W1).
• Mali are now 12 AFCON group matches unbeaten (W5 D7).
• Their last group-stage defeat came in their second match of the 2017 tournament against Ghana.
• Mali have failed to score in just one of their last seven AFCON matches, a 0–0 draw against Namibia in their final group game in 2023.
• Their record in final group matches reads P13 W5 D6 L2.
• They have only lost their final group match twice: 1–0 against DR Congo in 1994 and 3–0 against Côte d’Ivoire in 2008.
• Mali have not lost their final group match in their last eight AFCON participations (W4 D4).
• Their last defeat in a final group match came in 2008 against Côte d’Ivoire.
• They have won at least one match in each of their last three AFCON appearances, last failing to record a win in 2017 (D2 L1).
• Mali drew all three of their group matches in 2015 and were eliminated from Group D by the drawing of lots, finishing level on three points with Guinea on all tie-breaking criteria. Guinea progressed alongside Côte d’Ivoire.
• Should they progress, Mali would reach the knockout stages for a fourth successive AFCON finals.
• Since the introduction of the round of 16 in 2019, Mali have reached that phase in all three editions.
• They were last eliminated at the group stage in 2017.
• Progression would see Mali advance beyond the group stage for the 10th time overall, following appearances in 1972, 1994, 2002, 2004, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021 and 2023.
• It would be the second time Mali have reached the knockout stages in four successive AFCON participations, having also done so between 1974, 1994, 2002 and 2004.
• Mali failed to progress from the group stage in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2017.
• They had just 38% possession in their draw against Morocco.
• Goalkeeper Djigui Diarra made four saves against Morocco, facing five shots and conceding once.
• Mali have conceded a goal in each of their last four AFCON matches; their last clean sheet was a 0–0 draw against Namibia in their final group match of 2023.
• Scorer of Mali’s goal against Morocco, Lassine Sinayoko, has now scored five goals in eight AFCON appearances; only Seydou Keita and Frédéric Kanouté (seven each) have scored more for Mali.
• All five of Sinayoko’s AFCON goals have come in matches Mali did not lose (W2 D3).
• For a second consecutive AFCON, Sinayoko has scored in Mali’s opening two matches.
• Another goal would see him become the first Malian player since Ibrahima Koné in 2021 to score in Mali’s first three matches at an AFCON.
• Mali managed just one shot on target against Morocco, which was Sinayoko’s penalty that brought them level.