The Moroccan sports community received surprising news today about the cancellation of the Olympic team friendly match that was scheduled between the national under-23 team and its Tanzanian counterpart. The match, which was supposed to take place on Monday, October 5, 2026, at the Sports Village Stadium in Tangier, was officially canceled according to what the organizing committee announced.
The decision to cancel this preparatory encounter came due to internal reasons related to the Tanzanian team, the details of which were not disclosed. This cancellation represents a new challenge for the coaching staff of the Olympic team as they strive to optimally prepare the players for the upcoming commitments, especially the qualifying rounds for the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
It is worth mentioning that the Olympic team played another friendly last Thursday, drawing one-all against their Malian counterpart. The match was held at Moulay Hassan Stadium in Rabat and witnessed control from the Malian team who took the lead by exploiting an error from goalkeeper Yanis Benchawch, before Amir Bouhmadi managed to equalize for the Moroccan team, scoring his first goal wearing the Olympic “Atlas Lions” jersey.
This cancellation forces the Olympic team’s coaching staff to reconsider their plans, as they had relied on this match to evaluate the players’ levels and to test new tactics. With no immediate replacement, the coach will have to seek alternative solutions to maintain the team’s readiness before entering the critical continental qualifiers.
