Morocco have withdrawn from their planned international friendly against Ghana, which was scheduled to take place at the Grand Stade de Tanger on Sunday, October 4, 2026.

The cancellation leaves the Black Stars without a confirmed fixture for the remainder of the September-October international window, following a difficult start to their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign. Ghana had been due to face the atlas lions in Tangier in what was expected to be a useful test for both sides.

The friendly was officially announced by the Ghana football association on September 17, with a 7:00pm Morocco time kick-off initially confirmed. The GFA said at the time that the game would allow both national teams to assess their squads during the international break.

However, the match will now not go ahead. Reports in Ghana and Morocco indicate that the Royal Moroccan football federation has cancelled the fixture, although no official reason has been publicly provided for the decision.

The cancellation comes after preparations for the game had already begun. Morocco had reportedly opened ticket sales for the match on September 27 and started the media-accreditation process for journalists expected to cover the encounter in Tangier.

For Ghana, the development adds another layer of uncertainty after the Black Stars’ worrying start to the AFCON qualifying series. Carlos Queiroz’s side are bottom of Group C with no points from their opening two matches, having lost 2-0 to Côte d’Ivoire before surrendering a two-goal lead in a 4-2 home defeat to The Gambia.

The Morocco friendly had offered an opportunity for Queiroz and his technical team to respond to those setbacks, evaluate the squad and rebuild confidence before the next round of qualifiers in November. The match would also have been Ghana’s first meeting with the Atlas Lions since the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations, when Morocco won 1-0 in the group stage in Cameroon.