Argentina turns down Morocco’s $1 million offer for October friendly

Argentina will not play Morocco in October after the Argentine Football Association rejected a proposal to bring the Argentina team to Rabat for a friendly, according to Argentine journalist Veronica Brunati.

Brunati Reported on X that Morocco offered the AFA $1 million to play the match in Rabat. The Argentine federation turned down the proposal because it wants the national team’s next friendly matches to be played in Argentina.

The decision leaves Morocco looking for another opponent for the October international, while Argentina continues to work on its own home-based schedule.

Morocco’s immediate schedule is already set for September, when it will begin its 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifying campaign.

The Moroccan team will host Gabon in Rabat on Sept. 25 before traveling to South Africa to face Lesotho in Bloemfontein on Sept. 29.

The October window would give coach Mohamed Ouahbi an opportunity to add another international test.

Ouahbi has previously called on Morocco to face strong opponents to put the team in challenging situations and continue its development.

Morocco has already used high-profile friendlies as part of its preparations in 2026. In March, the Atlas Lions drew 1-1 with Ecuador before beating Paraguay 2-1.

Morocco also played friendlies against Burundi, Madagascar and Norway ahead of the World Cup, continuing the federation’s approach of testing the squad against different styles of opposition.

Argentina and Morocco’s senior men’s teams last met on March 26, 2019, in a friendly at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier. Argentina won 1-0, with Angel Correa scoring the only goal of the match.

Morocco and Argentina also met at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where Morocco won 2-1 in the men’s tournament. The match involved under-23 Olympic squads.