'Thanks to PSG!' - Achraf Hakimi set for sensational injury return with Morocco at AFCON as Walid Regragui hails 'gentleman' Nasser Al-Khelaifi

Hakimi has not featured for club or country since spraining his ankle in the first half of PSG’s Champions League defeat at home to Bayern Munich on November 4, missing a total of seven matches for PSG and four for Morocco during his recovery from the injury.

But his selection for AFCON by head coach Regragui indicated hope that his return to full fitness was not too far away, though he has been made to wait thus far in the group stage. Morocco have picked up four points in their two matches on home soil, beating Comoros 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game and drawing 1-1 with Mali on Friday.

Morocco know that a victory over Zambia at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on Monday would secure their passage to the knock-out stages as group winners, and so to have their captain back amongst the side would be a massive boost to Regragui. He made sure to credit PSG for their role in his recovery.

Regragui said on Sunday: “Let me say thanks to Paris Saint-Germain. If Hakimi is back today, it’s thanks to them”. 

“There’s not even one single club in the world that was gonna let us have Hakimi 15 days before the AFCON. Nasser Al Khelaifi is a gentleman”.

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Despite a challenging run of fixtures which has seen European champions PSG drop points in the Champions League and fall below Lens in the Ligue 1 table, Regragui’s words indicate that PSG made no attempt to prevent club captain Hakimi from focusing on returning to fitness in time for AFCON, allowing him to focus on representing his country as the Atlas Lions aim to win the competition for the first time since 1976.

The importance of this was not lost on Regragui. Hakimi was arguably the face of the Morocco outfit and certainly the leader of the side which reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, where they were knocked out by runners-up France after a historical campaign which saw them become the first-ever African side to reach the last four.

Hakimi has only seen his career reach new heights since then, winning the Champions League as PSG captain in 2024/25 and ranking in 6^th place in the Ballon d’Or before winning the 2025 African Player of the Year.

Regragui told Brut Afrique ahead of AFCON of Hakimi’s prospects of taking part in the tournament: "We're very positive about Achraf's participation. 

“In any case... which match and when? He'll definitely play in the AFCON with us, that's for sure. We have some information, but we're going to keep it to ourselves."

Should Morocco advance as Group A winners, they will face one of the third-placed sides of Group C, D or E in what they will hope is a favourable pathway to the latter stages. The runners-up of Group A will face the runners-up of Group C, which contains the likes of Nigeria and Tunisia.

The last 16 begins on January 3 and the showpiece final will take place 15 days later on Sunday, January 18 in Rabat. Morocco will hope to play a part that day, and Hakimi looks set to have an important role in their advancement throughout the remainder of the competition.

As stated by Regragui, the 50-year-old will have PSG to thank if his captain does return to action and play an important role in Morocco going deep into AFCON, which they will have set their sights on winning in front of their own supporters.