Ahead of their AFCON 2025 Group C opener against Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Tuesday, Tanzania head coach Miguel Gamondi has acknowledged that the cold conditions in Morocco are proving difficult for some of his players.
The Taifa Stars will play their group matches in Fes, where they are also scheduled to face AFCON 2004 winners Tunisia.
One of the major challenges teams are dealing with at this year’s Africa Cup of Nations is the cooler climate across Morocco. Temperatures in host cities are generally mild, ranging between 15–20°C during the day, with noticeably colder nights.
Fes, which will host the Super Eagles’ group-stage games, is among the coldest venues, recording daytime temperatures of around 14°C and dropping to about 6°C at night. Rabat experiences milder conditions, with highs near 18°C and lows around 10°C, while Casablanca has similar daytime temperatures but slightly warmer nights. Tangier is cooler, averaging 15°C during the day and 8°C at night.
Marrakech offers moderate weather, reaching about 20°C in the daytime and 10°C after dark, while Agadir is warmer, with daytime highs around 22°C and nighttime lows near 12°C.
Speaking after training at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Rabat, Gamondi admitted that the cold has affected certain players but stressed that adaptation is necessary.
“It’s not a problem because the weather is the same for everybody,” Gamondi said. “It’s true we are more adapted to the hot and warm temperatures and some players are suffering a bit from the cold but we need to adapt, even in Cairo (during their training camp) it was cold but it’s not an excuse it’s part of the job.”
Discussing Tanzania’s readiness for their clash with Nigeria, he added: “Our preparation is good the condition here is excellent we try to work with the maximum to prepare the team in the best way possible.
“The spirit in the camp is very good, we are very happy and excited to represent Tanzania in this Africa Cup of Nations.”
The upcoming match will mark Tanzania’s second meeting with Nigeria at the AFCON finals. Their first encounter came in the opening game of the 1980 tournament, which the Super Eagles won 3-1.