Hosts Morocco face heavy burden of expectation at Cup of Nations

RABAT, Dec 18 : Africa Cup of Nations hosts Morocco are putting up their best foot forward with sparkling stadiums and much-improved facilities for the 24 competing teams but the pressure on their own footballers to deliver the title is potentially stifling.

Africa's top-ranked team were semi-finalists at the last World Cup, have won a record 18 games in a row and boast a star-studded squad of players based at leading European clubs, making them hot favourites for the title.

But despite their prominent position in the African game Morocco have won the tournament only once, and that was almost a half century ago. They have been heavily fancied at the last four editions but failed to make it beyond the quarter-finals.

Home advantage should improve their chances but sell-out stadiums and a fanatical home crowd could also prove intimidating, combined with the responsibility of living up to all the organisational effort that has gone into the tournament.

“We have to win the Cup of Nations,” said coach Walid Regragui at a last press conference last month.

"At home, we’ll be tough to play against, we’ve proven that. We’ve progressed and rejuvenated the team,” he said of the disappointment of the last-16 defeat by South Africa at the last finals two years ago.

“We’ve integrated young players while maintaining our core strengths. We are coming into this tournament with confidence, but nothing is guaranteed."

SPARKLING STADIUMS

Morocco will be co-hosting the 2030 World Cup with Portugal and Spain and the Cup of Nations benefits from nine stadiums in six cities, a first for the African championship.

Morocco’s first three games are at the newly refurbished Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat, with a capacity of 68,700, where the opening