AFCON 2026 Final

The AFCON tournament is the African Football Cup Of Nations and this tournament is the biggest in Africa. AFCON is celebrated every 2 years leading to different African cultures to come together and celebrate with each other. Millions of fans endure the culture of each other and show that during each match that their national team played by singing together, dancing alongside each other and even comforting those who lose.  

This year the two African nations that were against each other were Senegal vs Morocco, and this match was the Final game of the African Cup Of Nations to determine the winner. The match was played in Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat Morocco, and the Senegalese were on their way to Morocco thinking they had a fair game in their hands but what Morocco had for them not only surprised the Senegalese team but also the world. Within the 124 minutes played of the match a lot of passion, leadership and teamwork was shown by both sides and both held a good fight against each other keeping it 0-0 until the last moments. 

Senegal played with focus, confidence and determination. Even though they were playing in difficult conditions and many fans felt the match was set up in Morocco's favor, the Senegal team stayed calm and continued to play despite the disadvantages. As mentioned before there was a lot of controversy during this final including that Senegal was given a training pitch in an open area where many people could watch. This meant their tactics, formations and strategies could be seen before the match. Another disadvantage is that they were given no security at a busy airport on their arrival to Morocco  and the Senegal team had to walk through large crowds with no security putting their safety at risk before an important match. 

During the match one of the most important players on the pitch in my opinion was Sadio Mané. Mané showed a lot of leadership throughout this match, using his past experience as a professional footballer to encourage his teammates throughout the unfair treatment. He did this by not only having a set mentality but through his attitude. He encouraged his teammates and stayed calm under pressure. During the match, Moroccan players were seen taking the towel from the Senegal goalkeeper which disrupted his concentration and showed poor sportsmanship. Many people not just the Senegalese fans believed that Morocco (Being the host country) had unfair advantages in the match. This caused debate among fans and football communities. Even with this, Senegal stayed respectful and kept showing good sportsmanship. 

At one point the match randomly stopped, leaving fans to wonder what was going on as the Senegalese squad walked off the pitch when there was still plenty of time left of the match. All the Moroccan fans were booing at the Senegalese players as they walked off, completely giving up. However at this time there was still one man on the pitch left from the Senegal squad and it was Mané. Mané talked with the coaches and officials, making his decision to show proper sportsmanship and dedication to his country and ran into the tunnel to the locker rooms and called all of his teammates out back to play for their country. All of the players walked out devastated and had no energy left to play, though Mané pushed them to their max. Shortly after this Senegal went onto scoring a goal at 90+4 minutes by their midfielder Papa Gueye and there was mixed emotions in the crowd. The team was in disbelief and gained all their confidence back. However late in the game in the final moments of the game, Morocco had been given a penalty, a chance for them to draw and go into penalties and potentially win for their country. Brahim Diaz stepped up for the penalty, the keeper (Mendy) is ready to dive, the crowd is quiet everyone waiting to jump up celebrate and he chips it down the middle. And the keeper saves it with ease and the game finally ends 1-0 to Senegal. 

This AFCON final was one to remember, for the quality of the match and the dedication of the players. There was finally a ceremony for the winners and they lifted the AFCON trophy with pride and joy and winning In front of all of their fans and families. With this win there was joy across the African nation not just Senegal and a lot of cultural celebrations were done to celebrate this win. 

Bibliography:

BBC Sport. “Africa Cup of Nations: History, Format and Importance.” BBC Sport, www.bbc.com/sport/football/africa-cup-of-nations. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026. 

Al Jazeera Sport. “Morocco vs Senegal: AFCON Final Sparks Debate Over Fairness.” Al Jazeera, www.aljazeera.com/sports/afcon-morocco-senegal-final. Accessed 26 Jan. 2026.