RABAT, Morocco (AP) – Morocco hosted Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final on Sunday, ending a four-week tournament featuring some of the continent’s best soccer.
As Morocco continues to prepare to co-host the 2030 World Cup, it will look to provide the best competition facilities, stadiums and infrastructure for the tournament on the continent.
Another dry run is likely to take place before the country attracts global attention as the venue for the 2028 Africa Cup, which has been brought forward by a year to allow the Confederation of African Football to go ahead with the event. Switch the competition to a 4-year cycle It will coincide with the FIFA calendar.
There are very few countries in Africa that can hold an event on such short notice. Morocco, which has invested heavily in football and transport infrastructure, is also hosting three consecutive Women’s Africa Cup competitions, with the third one starting on March 17.
A win in the men’s marquee match on Sunday would end a 50-year wait for Saudi Arabia’s second African Cup title and provide some vindication. huge expense. But the pressure is immense.
2021 champions Senegal will also be aiming for their second title.
It’s another lion duel, Atlas Lions of Morocco and Teranga Lions of Senegal.
Here’s what you need to know about the 35th edition finale.
favorite encounter
It was a tournament with few surprises, but no one will be surprised by the final between Africa’s top two teams, Morocco, ranked 11th in the world, and Senegal, ranked 19th. Both players are likely to move up 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.
This will be Senegal’s first match in another stadium, having played all of their matches in Tangier.
star player
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 Dias scores again in the final, he will join Ahmed Faraz 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. recovered from ankle injuryappearing as a substitute in the third time. Since then, he has played in every match in the knockout stages and created 10 chances, the most by a Moroccan player.
Senegal’s Sadio Mane created 18 chances, the most in the tournament. Won African Player of the Year Award twice (2019, 2022) Scored against Egypt in the semi-finals — 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.
best defense
Morocco have conceded just one goal in this tournament – a penalty scored by Mali’s Racing Sinayoko in the group stage.
Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy has conceded just two goals, against Congo and Sudan, and Teranga Lions have scored at least one goal in a game for the first time since a 2-2 draw with Algeria in 2017. Senegal have not conceded in 15 of their last 22 African Cup matches.
suspension
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly was sent off for accumulating yellow cards. it’s his Second tournament canceled This is the second time Senegal has missed the final due to suspension after receiving a red card in the group stage, the first being in the 2019 final when 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 alleged altercation in the semi-final against Egypt.
There are no suspensions for Morocco.
Next is the World Cup
Both teams have qualified for this year’s World Cup. However, Senegal supporters I don’t know if I’ll be able to participate in the team’s first two games. In the United States, due to the travel ban imposed by the Trump administration.
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.
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Associated Press on Africa Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-cup-of-nations
