{"id":15297,"date":"2026-01-17T14:33:41","date_gmt":"2026-01-17T14:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/?p=15297"},"modified":"2026-01-17T14:33:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T14:33:41","slug":"afcon-final-preview-morocco-battle-senegal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/afcon-final-preview-morocco-battle-senegal","title":{"rendered":"AFCON Final &#8211; Preview: Host nation Morocco battle Senegal in a thriller"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<p>The bracket has behaved itself, the heavyweights have survived the chaos tax, and now we get the final <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/league\/africa-cup-of-nations-167\">AFCON<\/a> promised by the rankings and delivered by the margins: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/match\/africa-cup-of-nations-167\/morocco-senegal-5093-5102-167#id=4653340\">Morocco, hosts and obsessives, against Senegal,<\/a> champions-in-living-memory and masters of the big-game grind.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>It is also a final built on control. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/morocco-5093\">Morocco<\/a> have conceded one goal all tournament, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/team\/senegal-5102\">Senegal<\/a> have conceded two. Both take a lot of shots, both let you take very few, and both have star power that feels engineered for this exact stage.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Kick-off is Sunday 18 January, 8pm local in Rabat (19:00 GMT) at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<div id=\"rank-math-toc\" class=\"wp-block-rank-math-toc-block\">\r\n<h2>The curtain call to what has been a superb AFCON<\/h2>\r\n<nav>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#road-to-the-final-how-morocco-got-here\">Road to the final: how Morocco got here<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#road-to-the-final-how-senegal-got-here\">Road to the final: how Senegal got here<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#team-news-absences-returns-and-the-selection-headaches\">Team news: absences, returns, and the selection headaches<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-numbers-that-define-this-final\">The numbers that define this final<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#key-player-moroccos-brahim-diaz-and-why-everything-bends-around-him\">Key Player &#8211; Morocco: Brahim D\u00edaz<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#key-player-senegals-sadio-mane-and-why-senegal-still-feel-like-senegal\">Key Player &#8211; Senegal: Sadio Man\u00e9 <\/a><\/li>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#the-tactical-chessboard-where-the-match-will-actually-be-won\">The tactical chessboard: where the match will actually be won<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li class=\"\"><a href=\"#fa-qs\">FAQs<\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/nav><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"road-to-the-final-how-morocco-got-here\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Road to the final: how Morocco got here<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Morocco\u2019s route has been a steady accumulation of pressure and clean sheets, with one wobble (Mali) and one nerve test (Nigeria).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Group A<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Morocco 2-0 Comoros<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Morocco 1-1 Mali<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Morocco 3-0 Zambia<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Round of 16<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Morocco 1-0 Tanzania<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Quarter-final<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Morocco 2-0 Cameroon<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Semi-final<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Nigeria 0-0 Morocco (Morocco won 4-2 on pens)<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>That semi-final tells you plenty about this Morocco. They can dominate without scoring, they can survive the moments when the game stops making sense, and they can win a shootout without looking like they are bargaining with the universe. Under Walid Regragui, it has been less about romance and more about repeatable habits.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">HISTORY IN THE MAKING! \ud83c\udf0d\ud83c\udfc6 The Atlas Lions have done it! After a heart-stopping penalty shootout against a resilient Nigeria side, Morocco has booked their ticket to the AFCON Final. \ud83c\uddf2\ud83c\udde6 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TYxS2SoBwP\">pic.twitter.com\/TYxS2SoBwP<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/2011573588714012834?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">January 14, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"road-to-the-final-how-senegal-got-here\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Road to the final: how Senegal got here<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Senegal\u2019s run has felt like a reminder: the best tournament teams do not need to be spectacular every night, they just need to be reliably better than you.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Group D<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Senegal 3-0 Botswana<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Senegal 1-1 DR Congo<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Benin 0-3 Senegal<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Round of 16<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Senegal 3-1 Sudan<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Quarter-final<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Mali 0-1 Senegal<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Semi-final<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Senegal 1-0 Egypt<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Two things pop off the page: Senegal have been comfortable scoring in bursts early in the tournament, then increasingly comfortable winning 1-0 when the air gets thinner. And they have done it while looking like a team who know exactly what the final 20 minutes are for.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"team-news-absences-returns-and-the-selection-headaches\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Team news: absences, returns, and the selection headaches<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Senegal arrive with a proper complication: Kalidou Koulibaly is suspended (yellow-card accumulation), and Habib Diarra is also suspended. That is captain, organiser, set-piece presence, and a midfield tool you really miss in a final.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Morocco\u2019s headline issues are injuries rather than bans: Azzedine Ounahi has missed the tournament with a calf injury, and Romain Sa\u00efss has been out since picking up a muscle injury in the opener.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>As for the stars: Achraf Hakimi is fully back in the mix after his ankle problem early in the tournament, and Morocco look more like themselves when their right side can turn defence into a fast break in two touches.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Predicted Senegal XI<\/strong><br \/>Mendy; Diatta, Sarr, Niakhat\u00e9, Diouf; replacement for Diarra, I. Gueye, P. Gueye; Ndiaye, Jackson, Man\u00e9<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Predicted Morocco XI<\/strong><br \/>Bono; Hakimi, Aguerd, Masina, Mazraoui; El Aynaoui; D\u00edaz, El Khannouss, Saibari, Ezzalzouli; El Kaabi<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"the-numbers-that-define-this-final\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The numbers that define this final<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>This is a matchup between the tournament\u2019s most consistent chance generators and its most disciplined defensive structures.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\r\n<li>Senegal have scored in all six matches, with 12 goals overall<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Morocco have conceded one goal in six matches and kept five clean sheets<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Senegal lead the tournament in shots with 94, Morocco are second with 87<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Senegal have attempted over 3,000 passes, Morocco just under that mark<\/li>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<li>Achraf Hakimi has created 10 chances, the most for Morocco<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Two teams who attack plenty, two teams who defend obsessively, and two teams who rarely lose structural control of a match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"key-player-moroccos-brahim-diaz-and-why-everything-bends-around-him\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Player &#8211; Morocco: Brahim D\u00edaz<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>If Morocco win, the story will not be complicated: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/brahim-diaz-53800\">Brahim D\u00edaz<\/a> has been the tournament\u2019s defining attacker. He&#8217;s also never lost a match with the national team&#8230; ever!<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>He has five goals, scoring in each of Morocco\u2019s first five matches, and leads the team for shots on target. But the impact goes deeper than finishing. D\u00edaz is Morocco\u2019s hinge in possession. The team circulates, waits, stretches the pitch, then feeds him between midfield and defence where decisions get forced.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Step to him and Morocco slip runners behind. Sit off and he turns and shoots. Leave him drifting and he combines into the box. His goals have also shaped Morocco\u2019s emotional rhythm. When he scores, Morocco suffocate opponents with control. In a final likely to be tight, one D\u00edaz moment could decide everything.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\r\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">\ud83d\udea8 Brahim D\u00edaz becomes the first player in Morocco\u2019s history to score 5 goals in a single AFCON \ud83d\udd25<br \/><br \/>He\u2019s also the only player in the last 57 years to score in each of the first five games of the tournament \ud83e\udd2f History made. Legacy written \ud83c\udf1f <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Tcf6qk8MK9\">pic.twitter.com\/Tcf6qk8MK9<\/a><\/p>\r\n\u2014 365Scores (@365Scores) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/365Scores\/status\/2009717655796887643?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">January 9, 2026<\/a><\/blockquote>\r\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"key-player-senegals-sadio-mane-and-why-senegal-still-feel-like-senegal\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key Player &#8211; Senegal: Sadio Man\u00e9<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Senegal\u2019s pulse still runs through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/en-us\/football\/player\/sadio-mane-7914\">Sadio Man\u00e9<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>He has two goals and three assists in the tournament and leads AFCON for chances created with 18. More importantly, he is the player who turns structure into danger. He stretches defences wide, drifts inside to link play, and produces shots when there should not be any.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>He also scored the semi-final winner. Senegal trust him in the quiet spells, the messy minutes, and the moments when finals wobble. He is their accelerator and their safety blanket.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-image-15300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2255672393-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Senegal's forward #10 Sadio Mane celebrates his goal during the AFCON (CAN) semi-final football match between Senegal and Egypt at the Grand stadium in Tangiers on January 14, 2026. \" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"the-tactical-chessboard-where-the-match-will-actually-be-won\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">The tactical chessboard: where the match will actually be won<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>1) Morocco\u2019s right side vs Senegal\u2019s reshuffled defence<\/strong><br \/>Hakimi plus D\u00edaz is Morocco\u2019s most dangerous pattern. Without Koulibaly organising Senegal\u2019s back line, Morocco\u2019s overloads and cutbacks become harder to contain.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>2) Midfield second balls<\/strong><br \/>Senegal lose bite and balance without Diarra. Morocco\u2019s midfield plays safe and disciplined, allowing their creators to operate. Winning loose balls after clearances could swing momentum.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>3) Crowd pressure<\/strong><br \/>Morocco have lived in this stadium for weeks. If they score first, the atmosphere becomes overwhelming. Senegal striking first flips the emotional weight entirely.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" class=\"wp-image-15301\" src=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/GettyImages-2252435241-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"Morocco's forward #20 Ayoub El Kaabi calebrates his goal with Morocco's defender #26 Anass Salah-Eddine during the Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) group A  football match between Morocco and Comoros at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat on December 21, 2025. \" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">(Photo by Paul ELLIS \/ AFP via Getty Images)<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h3 id=\"fa-qs\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">FAQs<\/h3>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>What time is the AFCON 2025 final?<\/strong><br \/>Sunday 18 January 2026, 8pm local (19:00 GMT).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Where is it being played?<\/strong><br \/>Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Who are the AFCON finalists?<\/strong><br \/>Morocco vs Senegal.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Morocco\u2019s path <strong>to the AFCON Final<\/strong>?<\/strong><br \/>Group winners \u2192 beat Tanzania \u2192 beat Cameroon \u2192 beat Nigeria on penalties.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Senegal\u2019s path to the AFCON Final?<\/strong><br \/>Group winners \u2192 beat Sudan \u2192 beat Mali \u2192 beat Egypt.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Morocco&#8217;s key player at AFCON?<\/strong><br \/>Brahim D\u00edaz, five goals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Senegal&#8217;s key player at AFCON?<\/strong><br \/>Sadio Man\u00e9, two goals and three assists.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>Major absences in the AFCON Final?<\/strong><br \/>Senegal missing Koulibaly and Diarra (suspension). Morocco without Sa\u00efss and Ounahi (injury).<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><strong>What stands out statistically at AFCON?<\/strong><br \/>Morocco: one goal conceded. Senegal: goals in every match.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>By Nicky Helfgott &#8211; <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NickyHelfgott1\"><em>NickyHelfgott1 on X (Twitter<\/em>)<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>Keep up with all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\">latest football news<\/a> on 365Scores!<\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The bracket has behaved itself, the heavyweights have survived the chaos tax, and now we get the final AFCON promised by the rankings and delivered by the margins: Morocco, hosts and obsessives, against Senegal, champions-in-living-memory and masters of the big-game grind. It is also a final built on control. Morocco have conceded one goal all &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":15304,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[926,4539,4553,4551,4541,4552,1859,4550,4543,4545,4549,4540,4546,2594,2302,4547,286,4548,4544,4542],"class_list":["post-15297","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-soccer","tag-achraf-hakimi","tag-afcon-2025-final","tag-afcon-match-preview","tag-afcon-rabat-final","tag-africa-cup-of-nations-2025","tag-african-football-championship","tag-brahim-diaz","tag-caf-afcon","tag-edouard-mendy","tag-kalidou-koulibaly","tag-morocco-national-team","tag-morocco-vs-senegal","tag-nayef-aguerd","tag-nicolas-jackson","tag-noussair-mazraoui","tag-prince-moulay-abdellah-stadium","tag-sadio-mane","tag-senegal-national-team","tag-walid-regragui","tag-yassine-bounou","article_type-discover","entity_type-competition","entity_type-competitor","entity_type-match","inspiration-365s-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15297","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15297"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15297\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15305,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15297\/revisions\/15305"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15297"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15297"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.365scores.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15297"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}