The Africa Cup of Nations is set as Senegal will face Morocco on Sunday to determine the champion of the continent. Senegal were able to get past Egypt in the semifinals, while it took a penalty shootout for Morocco to book their place in the final in front of their home fans. Morocco got past Nigeria, who had been the top scoring team at AFCON, and it will set up quite a final on Sunday as the Atlas Lions look to win the tournament for the first time since 1976. They’ve been an extremely successful side at World Cups, but Morocco haven’t even been runners-up at AFCON since 2004, but that could all change Sunday.
How to watch Senegal vs. Morocco
- Date: Sunday, Jan. 18 | Time: 2 p.m. ET
- Location: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium — Rabat, Morocco
- TV: beIN Sports | Live stream: Fubo (Try for free)
How Senegal got here
After winning Group D by going undefeated during the group stage, Senegal had the joint best defensive record, allowing only one goal in group stage play. Pushing to the knockout stage, they were able to fend off Sudan before Mali’s red card made advancing past the quarterfinals a breeze. Meeting Egypt, Senegal’s defense were again strong, keeping Mohamed Salah in check en route to another shutout victory. Only allowing two goals at AFCON so far, keeper Edouard Mendy and the Senegal defense will be tough to break down as the nation look to secure their first AFCON title since 2021.
How Morocco got here
Like Senegal, Morocco won Group A with an undefeated record, scoring six goals while only allowing one. Real Madrid man Brahim Diaz’s goals were a large part of their success, but so was the return of Paris Saint-Germain right back Achraf Hakimi from injury, which has given them their leader back on the pitch. Called in without playing a minute of soccer for PSG this season, it was a risk bringing Hakimi, but he has hit the pitch as if he hasn’t missed a step, which has been critical in the knockout stage for the Atlas Lions. They squeaked past Tanzania in the round of 16 before putting two goals past Cameroon. Coming up against Nigeria in the semifinals was quite a tall task for Morocco, but keeper Yassine Bounou was more than ready to play under pressure and secure their place in the final.
Players to watch
Senegal: All eyes will be on Sadio Mane, despite him being more of a creative presence during this tournament. When his team needed him most, Mane came up with a goal to defeat Egypt, but during the tournament as a whole, he has two goals and three assists. With Nicolas Jackson and Iliman Ndiaye being able to help pace the attack, less pressure has been on Mane to score in this tournament but he has been a critical part of the progression of Senegal’s balanced attack. Facing Morocco in the final, while it will be a defense-first affair, this is a moment where stars like Mane will be looked upon.
Morocco: Brahim Diaz will not only be looking to win AFCON, but he also enters as the leader in the Golden Boot race. With five goals so far in this tournament, it’s clear where the Atlas Lions will look for their goals. He’s gotten it done in plenty of different ways and will be looking to bounce back after Nigeria were able to keep him from making an impact in attack. Forward Ayoub El Kaabi of Olympiacos has been able to offer a secondary focus in the attack, but Diaz is still the first person that Morocco look to when they need a goal, and he’ll need to be at his best to break down a stout Senegal defense.
