Who: Senegal vs Morocco
What: Africa Cup of Nations final
Where: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat, Morocco
When: Sunday, January 18, at 8pm (19:00 GMT)
How to follow: We will have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 16:00 GMT, in advance of our text commentary stream.
Morocco hosts Senegal in the final of the 2025 CAF Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday, ending a four-week tournament that showcased the continent’s best football.
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A win in the men’s showpiece on Sunday would end a 50-year wait for the kingdom’s second Africa Cup title and bring validation of sorts for the huge spending spree. But the pressure is immense.
Senegal, the 2021 winner, is also going for its second title, but the build-up has been overshadowed by complaints about their treatment going into the final.
It’s a duel of lions, between the Atlas Lions of Morocco and Teranga Lions of Senegal.
Al Jazeera Sport takes a closer look at the final of the 35th edition:
What is Senegal’s complaint against Morocco before the AFCON final?
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) called on the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the local organising committee to “immediately take every corrective measure to guarantee respect for the principles of fair play, equal treatment, and security indispensable for the success of this celebration of African football”.
Senegal’s players travelled by train from Tangier to Rabat on Friday, but found what the federation said was a “clear lack of adequate security measures” upon their arrival.
FSF issued a statement in the early hours of Saturday morning in which it criticised an alleged lack of security arrangements for the team’s arrival in Rabat, problems with the team’s accommodation, issues with the training facilities, and difficulties getting a fair ticket allocation for its supporters.
“This deficiency exposed the players and technical staff to overcrowding and risks incompatible with the standards of a competition of this magnitude and the prestige of a continental final,” the federation said.
How do Morocco and Senegal shape up for the AFCON final?
It has been a tournament of few surprises, and no one will be shocked to see the two top-ranked African teams contest the final – world No 11 Morocco vs No 19 Senegal. Both are likely to climb in the FIFA rankings when the next update is issued on Monday.
Both teams have played all their six games so far in the same stadium, with Morocco buoyed by vociferous home support in the 69,500-capacity Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, which is also hosting the final.
For Senegal, which played every game in Tangier, it will be its first match of the tournament in another stadium, potentially a further complaint of fairness for the Teranga Lions should the final not go in their favour.
Who have been Senegal’s key players at AFCON 2025?
Senegal’s Sadio Mane has created 18 chances, the most in the tournament. The two-time African Footballer of the Year (2019, 2022) scored against Egypt in the semifinal – his 11th Africa Cup goal.
Mane led Senegal to victory in 2021 and will want to sign off with another win in what is likely his last game in the competition.
Edouard Mendy has been a rock in goal, while midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye brings a wealth of experience to the centre of the park, but the rumour is that this could also be the last AFCON for both of those players.
The pressure on Mane in attack has been eased by Iliman Ndiaye’s growing importance, as well as Paris Saint-Germain teenager Ibrahim Mbaye, who has also been an emerging talent at this tournament.
Who have been Morocco’s key players at AFCON 2025?
Forget Achraf Hakimi, the 2025 African Footballer of the Year – the undisputed star of the tournament so far has been Morocco’s No 10, Brahim Diaz, who scored in each of the team’s first five games.
If Diaz scores again in the final, he would join Ahmed Faras as Morocco’s joint-top scorer at an Africa Cup. Faras, the 1975 African Footballer of the Year, is the country’s top scorer altogether, with 36 goals.
To be fair to Hakimi, he missed the team’s first two games as he recovered from an ankle injury, going on as a substitute in the third. He has since played every game in the knockout stage and created 10 chances, the most for a Moroccan player.
When did Senegal win AFCON?
Senegal’s only AFCON title came in 2022, and Mane was the main man for the Lions of Teranga as they beat Egypt on penalties in the Cup of Nations final in Yaounde.
Having missed a penalty during normal time that night, Mane stepped up to score the decisive kick in the shootout, and Senegal – World Cup quarterfinalists in 2002 – were African champions for the first time.
In that moment, a huge weight was lifted off the shoulders of the boy from a small town on the banks of the Casamance River in southern Senegal.
There have also been plenty of lows for the two-time African footballer of the year, including the defeat in the final against Algeria in Cairo at the 2019 edition and missing the 2022 World Cup with injury.
When did Morocco win AFCON?
Much has been written about Morocco’s wait for their second AFCON crown. This edition marks the 50th anniversary of the Atlas Lions’ solitary continental title.
It is undoubtedly a huge underachievement by the north African nation, but the pressure is now greater than ever.
Morocco became only the fourth African nation to reach a World Cup quarterfinal at Qatar 2022 and went on to become the first nation from the continent to reach the semifinals.
Success did not follow at the 2023 AFCON, so – in front of their own fans – the expectation is that the wait, since that solitary title in 1976 in Ethiopia, must now come to an end.
Stat attack – Senegal
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has conceded only twice at this edition – against Congo and Sudan – and the Teranga Lions have not let in more than one goal in a game since a 2-2 draw with Algeria in 2017. In its last 22 Africa Cup games, Senegal has kept a clean sheet in 15 of those matches.
Stat attack – Morocco
Morocco has conceded only one goal in the tournament so far – a penalty scored by Mali’s Lassine Sinayoko in the group stage.
They are also unbeaten in two years, since going out of the last AFCON in Ivory Coast in the last 16 to South Africa.
Are Morocco and Senegal going to the FIFA World Cup 2026?
Both teams have qualified for the World Cup this year. However, Senegal supporters are unsure whether they can attend the team’s first two games in the United States because of a travel ban imposed by the Trump administration.
The Teranga Lions play their first match against France in New Jersey on June 16, four days before facing Norway in the same stadium. Senegal will face a playoff winner between Bolivia, Suriname and Iraq in Toronto for its final group game on June 26.
Morocco is in Group C with Brazil, Haiti and Scotland. Moroccan fans will not be affected by the travel ban.
Will Morocco host the 2028 AFCON?
Morocco will hope that it provided the best playing facilities, stadiums and infrastructure in the history of the tournament on the continent as it continues its preparations to be a 2030 World Cup co-host.
It’s likely it will get another dry run before the global showpiece as host of the 2028 Africa Cup of Nations, brought forward a year from 2029 to allow the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to switch the competition to a four-year cycle that brings it in line with FIFA’s calendar.
Few countries in Africa would be able to host the event at such short notice. Morocco, which has invested heavily in football and transport infrastructure, is also hosting three Women’s Africa Cup tournaments in succession, with the third beginning March 17.
The next AFCON is due to take place in 2027 in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Head-to-head
The nations have played each other 31 times, with Morocco winning 18 of the encounters and Senegal winning six.
A number of their encounters, including the last, have come at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) – a tournament where only players that play their club football on the continent can compete.
This, incredibly, will be their first meeting at an AFCON.
Senegal team news
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly is out because of an accumulation of yellow cards. It’s his second suspension of the tournament after a red card in the group stage, and it will be the second final he misses through suspension after the 2019 final, which Senegal lost to Algeria. Koulibaly’s semifinal was cut short by injury, so it’s uncertain if he could have played.
Senegal midfielder Habib Diarra is also suspended because of yellow cards. He was booked in the semifinal win over Egypt for arguing.
Senegal predicted starting lineup
Mendy; Diatta, Sarr, Niakhate, Diouf; Diarra, I. Gueye, P. Gueye; Ndiaye, Jackson, Mane
Morocco team news
Azzedine Ounahi has missed the entirety of the competition with a calf injury, and the midfielder is expected to be absent once again for the final.
Romain Saiss picked up a muscle injury in Morocco’s opening match against Comoros and remains absent.
Morocco’s predicted starting lineup
Bono; Hakimi, Aguerd, Masina, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui; Diaz, El Khannouss, Saibari, Ezzalzouli; El Kaabi
