As Morocco and Senegal prepare to bring down the curtain on the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) in Rabat tonight, debate is raging like wildfire as to whether this has been the best tournament yet.
With one match remaining before a new champion is crowned, the tournament has already broken records to become, with 120 goals, the highest-scoring edition.
After a slow start with poor attendance at some matches, crowds improved, and players duly responded with quality football in matches that were characterised by late twists, beautiful goals, and interesting storylines.
There was colour on the stands from fans despite the extremely cold weather conditions on some nights, and one of the discussions is whether this tournament should be held in winter in the future.
We were also introduced to the sharply dressed DR Congo fan Kuka Mboladinga, who became a favourite and social media sensation for his unique and colourful tribute to his nation’s hero Patrice Lumumba.
Good hosts
Apart from the football, Moroccans have been good hosts, and there is a lot to marvel at in the country — from the scenic Atlas Mountains to the bustling streets of Casablanca, Marrakesh, Agadir, Rabat, Fes, and Tangier.
With excitement on and off the field, it is fair to say this has been one of the best tournaments in recent memory, and both sets of finalists owe it to the continent to produce a memorable final.
Even Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development, agrees the level was high and the gap has closed between so-called small and big countries. “I will say, overall, the competition was intense, the mental attitude of all the teams was strong, the physical level of the players was unbelievable, and it was highly competitive,” the former Arsenal manager said.
“It is difficult to predict who will win the game because the level of the teams is close.”
I was impressed by the level of the coaches, and I am happy to see it is African coaches who lead African teams in the final. It shows the organisation level was high and decisions made by the coaches were good during games
— Arsene Wenger, Fifa’s chief of global football development
Half-century drought
At the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium tonight, there’s another interesting storyline, with hosts Atlas Lions looking to end a 50-year drought for their second continental title.
The Lions of Teranga are bidding for their second Afcon crown — to add to the one they won in Cameroon in 2021 — and give a perfect send-off to talismanic striker Sadio Mane.
“At the end of the day, you have two teams in the final who had more technical maturity,” pointed out Wenger, while emphasising the significance of the fact that the two teams are coached by Africans — Morocco’s Walid Regragui and Senegal’s Pape Thiaw.
“I was impressed by the level of the coaches, and I am happy to see it is African coaches who lead African teams in the final. It shows the organisation level was high and decisions made by the coaches were good during games.
“That is a big positive, and it also shows there’s no cap anymore because information in modern football travels quicker, everybody is at a top level, and margins are small.”
Pressure on Morocco
There is great pressure on Morocco, who will co-host the 2030 Fifa World Cup with Spain and Portugal, because they have spent billions in building new stadiums and refurbishing old ones with the support of King Mohammed VI.
Morocco won this tournament only once in 1976, and they are in their first final since 2004; so winning it again will be seen as some sort of justification for their spending on football infrastructure.
The Atlas Lions have been waiting for continental success for half a century, and coach Regragui is going to rely on key players like Yassine Bounou, Neil El Aynaoui, Ismael Saibari, Brahim Diaz, Achraf Hakimi, and Ayoub El Kaabi.
Thiaw will be without captain Kalidou Koulibaly and midfielder Habib Diarra but will call on Mane, Iliman Ndiaye, Nicolas Jackson, Habib Diallo, Ismaila Sarr, and 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye.
After the final whistle, there will be wild celebrations deep into the night, either in Casablanca, Marrakech, Agadir, Rabat, Fes, and Tangier or in Dakar, Touba, Thiès, Rufisque, and Kaolack.
After a few weeks, attention will turn to the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, where South Africa, Egypt, Ghana, Algeria, Senegal, Morocco, Tunisia, Cape Verde and Ivory Coast will represent Africa.
Bafana wake-up call
From a South African perspective, Bafana Bafana imploded in Morocco with a last-16 elimination by Cameroon, and that was a timely wake-up call.
Coach Hugo Broos promised a top-to-bottom review, and one of the things in which Bafana were found wanting was defending set-pieces.
There were also games where Bafana were tactically outplayed by superior opponents, and there are growing calls for another assistant coach (in addition to Helman Mkhalele) and a set-piece coach.
Most teams used dead-ball situations to score goals in Morocco, and this is a trend that is likely to continue at the World Cup — and Bafana must be ready for that.
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