International Watch: How AFCON Is Going For Real Madrid Star Brahim Diaz
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As many of you will be aware, the 2025-26 AFCON (Africa Cup of Nations) is currently taking place in Morocco. For those interested, the tournament had to start before the new year to be classified as a 2025 tournament, and therefore give clubs no say in whether they release their players.
Clubs only have to release players for one tournament per year, which, for 2026, would be the World Cup next summer. So, if AFCON had just taken place in January and February, clubs would have been allowed to say no to any call-up. AFCONs have taken place in World Cup years before, but with the increased schedule and two UCL games in January, clubs would have been more likely to say no this time.
So, before we head into the new year, the current AFCON is well underway. The third and final round of group stage games are currently taking place. One team that have already played their three games are the hosts - Brahim Diaz's Morocco.
Brahim Diaz stars in Morocco's qualification to AFCON knockout rounds
To kick things off, the World Cup semi-finalists overcame Comoros with a 2-0 win in the tournament's opening game. In that one, Diaz started on the right wing. Within the first ten minutes, he won a penalty - but it was not converted.
Then, ten minutes into the second half, the Real Madrid forward got on the end of a cutback inside the box to fire the ball home for the first goal in the tournament. From there, his side would go on to win the game 2-0 and get off to the perfect start.
For Morocco's second game, Diaz once again started off the right-hand side as they faced Mali. Right on the stroke of half-time, the 26-year-old got his second goal of the tournament, as he calmly converted a penalty to take a 1-0 lead.
Just under 20 minutes into the second half, Mali scored a penalty of their own to equalise. 1-1 is how the game would end, despite the home side's dominance. Still, four points from two games was a solid enough start.
For their third and final group game, against Zambia, Real Madrid's number 21 was once again in the starting XI on the right-hand side. Morocco took the lead after nine minutes. After 27 minutes, Diaz scored his third goal of the tournament - again finishing off a cutback, this time with his left foot, with a very well taken finish.
Things would be very routine from there, with the tournament favourites seeing out a resounding 3-0 win to finish the group stage top of proceedings, with seven points, six goals, and three clean sheets. A very successful group stage for Diaz, both collectively and individually.
Morocco's last 16 tie will take place on January 4 at 11:00 a.m. EST (17:00 CET), 45 minutes after Real Madrid kick off against Real Betis in the return of La Liga. Their opponent is yet to be confirmed - they will play one of the best third-placed teams, so it is likely to be a relatively soft draw, whoever they end up playing.
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Tom Vinall is a sports writer covering Real Madrid On SI. Previously, he had worked at FanSided as both a contributor and site expert, covering the likes of Spurs and Bayern Munich. He has also previously written for Transfer News Live. Tom was born and lives in Bristol, South West England, and loves to listen to music as well as learning Spanish.
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