Who: Senegal vs Morocco
Content: Africa Cup of Nations Final
Location: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco
When: Sunday, January 18th, 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 16:00 GMT, ahead of the text commentary stream.
Morocco hosted Senegal on Sunday in the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations final, ending a four-week tournament that showcased the continent’s best football.
Recommended stories
list of 3 itemsend of list
A win in the men’s showpiece match on Sunday would end Saudi Arabia’s 50-year wait for a second African Cup title and provide some vindication for their huge spending. But the pressure is immense.
2021 champions Senegal are also aiming for a second title, but their progress has been hampered by complaints about their treatment in the run-up to the final.
A lion duel between Morocco’s Atlas Lions and Senegal’s Teranga Lions.
Al Jazeera Sports has detailed coverage of the final of the 35th edition of the tournament.
What are Senegal’s complaints against Morocco before the AFCON final?
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and local organizing committees to “immediately take all corrective measures to ensure respect for the principles of fair play, equal treatment and safety, which are essential to the success of this celebration of African football.”
The Senegalese players traveled by train from Tangier to Rabat on Friday, but upon arrival, the federation said, it was discovered that there was a “clear lack of appropriate safety measures”.
The FSF issued a statement early Saturday morning criticizing the lack of security when the team arrived in Rabat, problems with the team’s accommodation, training facilities and the difficulty in allocating fair tickets to supporters.
“This deficiency exposed the athletes and technical staff to overcrowding and risks that were not in keeping with the standards of an event of this magnitude and the prestige of a continental final,” the federation said.
How will Morocco and Senegal improve heading into the AFCON finals?
It’s a tournament with few surprises, and no one will be shocked to see Africa’s top two teams play in the final, between world No. 11 Morocco and No. 19 Senegal. Both players could see a rise in the FIFA rankings when the next update is released on Monday.
Both teams have played their previous six matches at the same stadium, with Morocco backed by a huge home crowd at the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which will also host the final.
For Senegal, who have played all their games in Tangier, this will be the first match of the tournament at a different stadium, which could lead to further fairness complaints for Teranga Lions if the final does not go in their favor.
Who are Senegal’s key players in AFCON 2025?
Senegal’s Sadio Mane created 18 chances, the most in the tournament. The two-time African Player of the Year (2019 and 2022) scored in the semi-final against Egypt, his 11th African Cup goal.
Mane will be hoping to lead Senegal to victory in 2021 and cap it off with a victory in what will likely be their last game in this tournament.
Edouard Mendy is a rock in goal and midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye brings a wealth of experience to the center of the park, but rumors suggest this could be the last AFCON for both players.
The pressure on Mane in attack has been eased by the growing importance of Iliman Ndiaye and the presence of Paris Saint-Germain’s teenager Ibrahim Mbaye, who has also showcased his talent in this competition.
Who were the key players for Morocco at AFCON 2025?
Forget about Achraf Hakimi, who was named the 2025 African Player of the Year. The undisputed star of the tournament so far has been Morocco’s number 10, Brahim Dias, who has scored in each of his team’s first five matches.
If Diaz scores again in the final, he will join Ahmed Faras as Morocco’s second-highest scorer at the African Cup. Fallas was named Africa’s best player in 1975 and is the country’s top scorer with 36 goals.
To be fair to Hakimi, he missed the team’s first two games as he recovered from an ankle injury and came on as a substitute in the third game. Since then, he has played in every match in the knockout stages and created 10 chances, the most by a Moroccan player.
When did Senegal win AFCON?
Senegal’s only AFCON title came in 2022, with Mane a key player in Teranga’s Lions defeating Egypt on penalties in the Nations Cup final in Yaounde.
Despite missing a penalty in normal time that night, Mane rose to score the decisive kick in the shoot-out and 2002 World Cup quarter-finalists Senegal became African champions for the first time.
At that moment, a huge weight was lifted from the shoulders of a boy who lives in a small town on the banks of the Casamance River in southern Senegal.
The two-time African soccer player has also had some bad luck this year, including losing in the final against Algeria in Cairo in 2019 and missing the 2022 World Cup due to injury.
When did Morocco win AFCON?
Much has been written about Morocco’s wait for a second AFCON crown. This edition celebrates the 50th anniversary of Atlas Lions’ only continental title.
This is undoubtedly a major underachievement for the North African nation, but the pressure is greater than ever.
Morocco became the fourth African nation to reach the quarter-finals of the Qatar 2022 World Cup, and the first country from the continent to reach the semi-finals.
Although they were unable to find success at the 2023 AFCON, fans are hopeful that the wait since winning Ethiopia’s only title in 1976 may be over.
Statistical Attack – Senegal
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has only conceded twice in this competition, against Congo and Sudan, and Teranga Lions have not conceded more than one goal in a game since a 2-2 draw with Algeria in 2017. Senegal have kept a clean sheet in 15 of their last 22 African Cup matches.
Status Attack – Morocco
Morocco has conceded only one goal in this tournament, a penalty goal scored by Mali’s Rashin Shinayoko in the group stage.
In addition, they were eliminated in the last 16 at the last AFCON held in Ivory Coast, losing to South Africa, and have been undefeated for two years.
Will Morocco and Senegal participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
Both teams have qualified for this year’s World Cup. However, due to the Trump administration’s travel ban, Senegalese supporters are unsure whether they will be able to attend the team’s first two games in the United States.
Teranga Lions will play their first match against France in New Jersey on June 16, before playing Norway four days earlier at the same stadium. Senegal will play the final group game on June 26 in Toronto against the playoff winners of Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq.
Morocco are in Group C along with Brazil, Haiti and Scotland. Moroccan fans are not affected by the travel ban.
Will AFCON 2028 be held in Morocco?
As Morocco continues to prepare to co-host the 2030 World Cup, it will hope to be able to offer the best sporting facilities, stadiums and infrastructure in the continent’s history.
Another dry run is likely to take place before the country attracts global attention as host of the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, to allow the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to switch the competition to a four-year cycle to align with FIFA’s calendar.
There are very few countries in Africa that can hold an event on such short notice. Morocco, which has invested heavily in soccer and transport infrastructure, is also hosting three consecutive Women’s Africa Cup competitions, with the third one starting on March 17th.
The next AFCON is scheduled to be held in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda in 2027.
direct confrontation
The two countries have faced each other 31 times, with Morocco winning 18 times and Senegal winning six times.
Many of their encounters, including the last one, were at the African Nations Championship (CHAN). This tournament is open only to players who play club soccer on the African continent.
Incredibly, this will be the first meeting at AFCON.
Senegal team news
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off for accumulating yellow cards. This is the second time a team has been suspended from the tournament after receiving a red card in the group stage, and the second time Senegal has missed out on a final due to suspension, following the 2019 final where they lost to Algeria. Koulibaly’s semi-final was interrupted due to injury, so it is unclear whether he was able to play.
Senegalese midfielder Habib Diarra was also suspended due to a yellow card. He was suspended for an altercation in the semi-final against Egypt.
Senegal’s projected starting lineup
Mendy. Diatta, Saar, Niahate, Diouf. Diarra, I. Guay, and P. Guay. Ndiaye, Jackson, Mane
morocco team news
Azzedine Ounahi has missed the entire tournament with a calf injury and the midfielder is expected to be absent again for the final.
Romain Saiss sustained a muscle injury in Morocco’s opening game against Comoros and remains sidelined.
Morocco’s projected starting lineup
Bono. Hakimi, Agerud, Masina, Mazraoui. El Ainaoui. Díaz, El Cannous, Saibari, Ezarzurri. El Kaabi
