Mali and Zambia will meet at the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations for the second time when they open their Group A campaign at Stade Mohammed V in Casablanca on Monday. Their only previous meeting at the AFCON finals came in the semi-finals of the 1994 tournament on 6 April 1994 at Stade El Menzah in Tunis, Tunisia, over 31 years ago. That defeat remains Mali’s joint-heaviest loss at an AFCON finals, alongside a 4-0 semi-final defeat to Morocco in 2004. Overall, the two teams have met six times, with Zambia winning twice, Mali once, and three matches ending in draws. For both nations, this will be their first AFCON appearance in Morocco as hosts, with neither featuring when the Moroccans hosted the tournament in 1988.

Source: The North Africa Journal December 20, 2025 13:11 UTC