Holidaymakers head to Morocco for the CAN as diaspora drives the mood | OneFootball

Holidaymakers cross the Mediterranean for a Maghreb-hosted CAN in Morocco during the year-end break, while visitors from East and sub-Saharan Africa are fewer.

According to L'Équipe, Ali, Achim and Anis, Comoros supporters from Marseille’s 14th arrondissement, flew to Marrakech on a budget of about 1,000 euros each, booked an apartment and hired a car.

They often sort tickets late, and Comoros against Morocco, a 0-2 defeat on Sunday, was the hardest, secured via the Comorian federation. Between matches they try quad rides in Agafay and hunt down pastries, while some simply enjoy the atmosphere without seats.

Kylian Mbappé attended Morocco against Mali on Friday night before heading to Marrakech.

Medhi, a 48-year-old mechanic, failed to find tickets for Algeria-Sudan, a 3-0 win on Wednesday, but has seats for Burkina Faso on Sunday in Rabat. He drove from Lyon with his wife and two grown daughters, nearly 40 hours in all. The route included Alicante, the Algeciras to Tangier ferry, and a flat in Bouznika, 40 kilometres away, for 9 nights at 500 euros.

In Rabat, visitors wander the medina. On the eve of the opener, many enjoyed French Montana, Davido and Lartiste in mild weather.

Travellers from sub-Saharan and East Africa are rarer. Two Togolese couples came to see the CAN and relax, vowing to attend future editions while health allows. They found Côte d’Ivoire in 2024 more intense across city, stadium and fan zones, while Rabat’s chill and rain may be thinning crowds, though locals are friendly.

Source: L'Équipe