Overview:
Enroute to the final, Senegal netted a dozen times and their defense let in two goals.
AFCON 2025 (Final):
- Sunday, 18th January 2026
- Senegal Vs Morocco (10:00 PM East African Time)
- Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
As Senegal takes on hosts Morocco at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) grand final on Sunday, two Terenga Lions players will be out of action.
Captain Kalidou Koulibaly (Al-Hilal) and Mouhamadou Habib Diarra (Sunderland) are suspended for the final after accumulating two cautions apiece.
Both players were booked during the quarter final clash against Mali on 9th January 2026.
They were also cautioned against Egypt in the semifinal duel on 14th January 2026.
Koulibaly did not also complete the match against Egypt after limping out with a knock.
These are crucial absentees for Senegal who are seeking for their second AFCON trophy since 2021.
Like Senegal, the tournament hosts Morocco are also chasing for the second title since the 1976 heroics in Ethiopia.
Senegal’s star player Sadio Mane indicated that this could be his last AFCON and yearns to cap it with victory.
“I long for victory on Sunday because this is likely to be my last AFCON” Mane stated.
Pape Thiaw, Senegal head coach will therefore need to strategize and assemble a formidable team with capable replacements for the missing two key players.
Road to final:
Enroute to the final, Senegal netted a dozen times and their defence let in two goals.
They beat Botswana 3-0 in the opener of Group D, drew 1-all with Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), recorded another 3-0 victory over Benin to qualify out of the group as leaders.
At the round of 16, Senegal came from a goal down to outwit Sudan 3-1 to make it to the quarters where they edged a hard-fighting Mali side 1-0.
In the semi-finals, Mane scored the all important goal over Egypt to secure a final’s berth.
Senegal’s road to the final:
- Senegal 3-0 Botswana (Group D)
- Senegal 1-1 Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – Group D
- Benin 0-3 Senegal (Group D)
- Senegal 3-1 Sudan (Round of 16)
- Mali 0-1 Senegal (Quarter final)
- Senegal 1-0 Egypt (Semi-final)
Morocco’s road to the final:
- Morocco 2-0 Comoros (Group A)
- Morocco 1-1 Mali (Group A)
- Zambia 0-3 Morocco (Group A)
- Tanzania 0-1 Morocco (Round of 16)
- Cameroon 0-2 Morocco (Quarter-final)
- Nigeria 0 (2) – 0 (4) Morocco (Semi-final)