The gesture by Morocco's Crown Prince at the AFCON that has won the hearts of the entire world

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00:00A nation overseen by that man's father, King Mohamed VI, that is Prince Mouleh Abdallah after

00:09whom this stadium in Rabat is named. It stands between Gianni Fantino and Dr. Patrice Muxerpi,

00:18the presidents of FIFA and CAF respectively, while Fawzi Lekja, the Royal Moroccan Football

00:26Federation president proudly marches on beside. This is a moment for many to sabre on the continent

00:36and indeed in Morocco. The chance to calm the nerves and assert their authority and send

00:42the message across the tournament. The Prince to meet the players,

00:48captained by the standout Youssef M'Changama, 35-year-old who's continued to impress for

00:58Kormoros over the years, the all-time leading Caps winner for his country.

01:05Introducing the respective players who'll do duty

01:08Ahead of the start of this tie.

01:21A strong start tonight, Morocco would set the tone, calm their nerves.

01:27And anything less would ignite questions early and hand belief to every outside team watching across

01:33the continent and the competition. And that, for Kormoros, is what they've come to do.

01:42The 2021 campaign changed how Kormoros saw themselves and how we viewed underdogs.

01:50They are not here to participate. They are here to compete and they look to prove it here in

01:54Dawind Rabat. The officials led by Jean-Jacques Ndolongambo of DRC.

02:05Romain Saiz with the captain's armband in the absence of the

02:10talismanic Ashraf Hakimi, the best player on the continent.

02:13Having picked up that award just days ago, Yasin Bounou is a standout. He's a hero, he's an icon,

02:26and he's warmly greeted.

02:32A very strong squad for Morocco, who know that anything other than three points would feel like

02:37an opportunity missed. So in a sense, for Kormoros, there's a freedom to this game. More of an

02:47obligation and expectation for Morocco, but that's what makes opening night so special and so compelling.

02:54Prepare to be captivated. AFCON 2025 will begin with a reminder that favourites do not win tournaments

03:01in the opening match, but maybe they can lose them. A second meeting in the Africa Cup of Nations

03:12between Morocco and Kormoros. Their only previous encounter was in Kormoros' debut when Morocco ran

03:18out 2-0 victors in the group stages in January 2022 in Cameroon.

03:42What is rather remarkable is that two of the teams that were undefeated during the

03:48Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers meet in this opening encounter.

03:53Kormoros with a stunning campaign as they went undefeated with three wins and three draws to

03:59top group A ahead of Tunisia, the Gambia and Madagascar.

04:06Morocco, though, the only team with a perfect record in qualifying. Six wins in six matches,

04:11the top group B ahead of Gabon, Lesotho and Central African Republic.

04:16They find themselves playing on home soil, filled with confidence and perhaps a psychological boost as

04:24well. If you are just joining us from wherever you might be, welcome to Rabat for the opening match

04:30of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025.

04:33As the man who the stadium is named after, Prince Mouler Abdelah, poses with Kormoros and indeed

04:43that the country he hopes will claim victory in this opening fixture, Morocco.

04:47There is rain starting to fall. It's been intermittent in the build-up.

04:59There's certainly no sign of spirits being dampened.

05:06Brahim Diaz of Real Madrid stands pride of place alongside the Prince Ashraf Hakimi.

05:22not often you see him off the pitch, not owing to the ankle injury that's seen him a doubt for the

05:31opening fixture is as a precaution on the bench for the opener against Kormoros.

05:36He is the ceremonial kickoff of this sporting event.

05:50The ceremonial kickoff.

06:11One of the royal family, the two princes, Crown Prince Mouler Hassan and Mouler Abdelah.

06:28Man that it is precisely suggesting that he should be perturbed to his family that is

06:50overwhelming ahead throughout his life.

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