Kylian Mbappé is in Morocco and has personally been invited by his good friend Achraf Hakimi to attend the second Group A clash of AFCON 2025 between the Lions of the Atlas as they face Mali in Rabat on December 26.
Both Mbappé and Hakimi played together at Paris Saint-Germain for three seasons from the summer of 2021 until the end of the 2023–24 season.
Their partnership began when Hakimi joined the club from Inter Milan on July 6, 2021, and ended when Mbappé departed for Real Madrid on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 and both remain good friends.
The Moroccan defender is currently sidelined through injury but it’s hoped by many home fans that he will be ready to play in the latter stages of the tournament.
Morocco expects
Walid Reguagui’s men are strong favourites to win the competition they host and a win over Mali in Rabat would guarantee a place in the next stage after their opening game win over Comoros.
Mali stuttered in their opening game falling to a late equaliser to Zambia in a game they dominated for large periods.