AFCON: Lions battle for semi-final ticket against Morocco today.

According to CAF, Egyptian referee, Amin Omar, will be in charge of the game.   

Both nations head into the fixture with memories of the 1988 AFCON, where Cameroon edged Morocco, who were hosting the AFCON for the first time, 1-0 in the semi-final.

The Indomitable Lions went on to secure the coveted title, their second after 1984. That was after edging Nigeria 1-0 in the final.

The Atlas Lions on their part settled for fourth place, following a defeat to Algeria, by 3-4 on penalty shootouts in an all-North African third place match.

Today’s quarter-final match, many experts have revealed, will see two of the title favourites go toe-to-toe as they continue their match toward the AFCON trophy.

Cameroon and Morocco have enjoyed a similar run in the competition. They began their campaign with wins with the Indomitable Lions, edging Gabon 1-0 and Morocco defeating Comoros by 2-0.

They went on to settle for draws in their penultimate group fixture and completed their group campaign with wins against Mozambique and Zambia respectively.

In the round of 16, Cameroon held on to defeat South Africa for the first time in their history. Morocco, on their part, secured a hard fought 1-0 win against Tanzania.

While Cameroon has scored six goals and conceded three, Morocco counts seven goals and have conceded only once.

The winner of today’s match will advance to the semi-final of the AFCON and will face the winner of the game pitting Nigeria and Algeria.

 Pagou undaunted…

The head coach of Cameroon, David Pagou, has insisted that the team is determined to secure a win to advance to the last four.

According to Pagou, the team is not relying on its record with the North African nation but remains “focused” on their ambitious targets.

“The past doesn’t guarantee the present. So, we are focused. You see that up to now, Morocco is on top of the ranking of African football. So, we have come to challenge them,” Pagou said during the pre-match interview.

Pagou also admitted that “it is not going to be easy” but stressed that “we are going to try and play with our force”.

The former PWD of Bamenda gaffer said although the team is young, there is the growing belief that they can shake up what seems to be the established order of Moroccan football who have not lost a home game since losing to Cameroon in 2009.

“They are young. So, they want to write their names in the books of African football. Let them go step by step. (…) We are playing a team with several good players but also one that has been great as a team. It has been very long that Morocco has not lost a home fixture. It is an extra motivation. We will ask them to play,” Pagou said.  

Pagou also provided updates on the team’s left-backs, French based duo, Darlin Yongwa and Mammadou Nagida.

They did not immediately rule them out of the game but said: “In a competition like this, the infirmary is always busy. So, players are not 100%. But there are some injuries that players can play through”.

Pagou aiming for more history

The win over South Africa in the round of 16 meant that Pagou became the first Cameroonian coach to win a knockout match with the Indomitable Lions at the AFCON.

His predecessors Jules Nyongha (1996), Jean Manga Onguene (1998) and Rigobert Song (2023) failed to achieve the feat.

Thanks to Pagou, Cameroon is at the quarter-final of the AFCON for the 11th time since 1992 when it was introduced.

It is the joint best record for a nation in the competition. Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, Tunisia, and Nigeria who have achieved such heights.

Qualification for the last eight also comes with huge financial benefits for the Cameroon national team.

The Cameroon national team will receive 1.3 million dollars, over 728 million FCFA, from the Confederation of African Football, CAF.

No Cameroonian coach has won the AFCON before. Another record Pagou is keen on writing. Would he thrive or fold in the face of Morocco’s pressure?

No pressure for Lions

Cameroon striker, Christian Kofane, who accompanied, Pagou at the pre-match press conference re-echoed the team’s desire to “make Cameroonians proud”.

Quizzed on the pressure the team will face from the thousands of Moroccan fans, Kofane said there was no pressure ahead of the game.

“We know there will be a huge crowd tomorrow supporting Morocco but I have faced bigger crowds in Germany like the fans of Borussia Dortmund. So, my focus is the game”, Kofane told reporters.

It should be recalled that Kofane is Cameroon’s leading goalscorer at the AFCON with two matchwinners against Mozambique and South Africa.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3668 of Friday January 09, 2026