Overview
- The first matchday closed with expected contenders largely winning, including Morocco over Comoros 2-0, Cameroon edging Gabon 1-0, and victories for Egypt, DR Congo, Senegal, Nigeria, Tunisia, Algeria and Côte d’Ivoire.
- Morocco’s Ayoub El Kaabi scored a standout acrobatic effort in the opener, while Mohamed Salah netted Egypt’s last‑second winner and Riyad Mahrez hit a brace in Algeria’s 3-0 defeat of Sudan.
- A roughly 15-minute VAR outage during DR Congo vs Benin drew complaints from Benin coach Guernot Rohr and raised fairness concerns.
- Heavy rain did not halt play, with Rabat’s SubAir system credited for maintaining high-quality surfaces and avoiding interruptions.
- After a Christmas pause, play resumes Friday with Morocco vs Mali, as coach Walid Regragui urges caution and reports Romain Saïss has a minor strain, Achraf Hakimi is being managed, and rumors about Nayef Aguerd’s injury are denied.