The Mali national team began their journey in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals with a 1-1 draw against Zambia in the match held at the Mohammed V Stadium in Casablanca, as part of the first round of the group stage.

The first half saw the Malian team miss a penalty, but they managed to open the scoring in the second half through Lassina Saneiko in the 61st minute. Just before the final whistle, the Zambian team equalized through Patson Daka in the second minute of added time.

With this result, the Moroccan national team tops the group standings with three points following their victory in the opening match, while the teams of Mali and Zambia occupy second and third places with one point each, respectively. The Comoros national team is at the bottom of the standings with no points.

The Moroccan national team is scheduled to face Mali in the second round, in a match hosted at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat next Friday, starting at 9:00 PM, in an anticipated encounter to decide the top spot in the group.