Two of Africa’s top-ranked teams by FIFA, Morocco and Senegal, will face each other in a high-profile final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, expected to be attended by over 65,000 fans, with millions of others watching from home on Sunday.

What is at stake?

The stakes are very high for Morocco, who are the hosts of the tournament.

The Atlas Lions are hoping to win the AFCON on home soil this time, 50 years after claiming their first title. Morocco will definitely enjoy the support of tens of thousands of fans inside the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, cheering the team on.

On the other hand, the encounter is an opportunity for the Lions of Teranga to double their continental laurels after Senegal lifted their first-ever AFCON title at the 2021 tournament in Morocco.

Senegal have a sizable population in Morocco, so a significant number of their supporters are expected to be in the stadium.

Journey at the AFCON

Morocco kicked off the tournament with a 2-0 win over Comoros but were held to a goalless draw by Mali in their second group match. However, the Atlas Lions returned to winning ways with an emphatic 3-0 win over Zambia in their last group game.

In the knockout phase, Morocco managed a narrow 1-0 win over Tanzania in the round of 16 to book a match against Cameroon in the quarterfinals, which the host nation won 2-0.

They proceeded to reach the final after a penalty shootout win against Nigeria in the semifinal.

Meanwhile, Senegal opened their campaign with an emphatic 3-0 win over Botswana before a 1-1 draw against the Democratic Republic of Congo in their second group game.

The Lions of Teranga wrapped up the group stage with another 3-0 victory over Benin Republic.

In the round of 16, Senegal secured a 3-1 win over Sudan to progress to the quarterfinals, where the Senegalese pipped Mali 1-0. The 2021 champions faced Egypt in the semifinals and, thanks to a lone goal by Sadio Mane, Senegal progressed to the final.

Head-to-head

Ahead of Sunday’s final, the outcome of previous matches between the two teams heavily favours Morocco, with the North African country winning 18 of the past 31 games across all competitions involving Morocco and Senegal.

The hosts have scored 41 goals in the process while only conceding 18.

Senegal have only managed to overcome Morocco six times in their previous meetings. The other seven matches ended in draws.

The West African country has conceded 41 goals across all competitions against Morocco while managing to score 18 times.

Availability

Kalidou Koulibaly and Habib Diarra will miss the final due to yellow card suspensions. Both players reached their card limit in the AFCON knockout phase after being shown yellow cards during Senegal’s win over Egypt.

For Morocco, it is unclear whether Azzedine Ounahi will return to the team after missing the semifinal match against Nigeria because of injury.