Walid Regragui, head coach of Morocco arrives during the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations AFCON match between Zambia and Morocco at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco on 29 December 2025 ©Samuel ShivambuBackpagePix
Saturday Jan 17, 2026. 13:00
Morocco head coach Walid Regragui anticipates a closely-contested affair against Senegal when they battle it out for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title on Sunday.
The Atlas Lions reached their first AFCON final in 22 years after beating Nigeria 4-2 on penalties in the last four on Wednesday to keep the hopes of a football-mad nation alive.
Brahim Diaz has been the star of the show on home soil, scoring in five consecutive matches to lead the race for the Golden Boot, while Yassine Bounou produced heroics in the semi-final shootout after saving two of the Super Eagles’ spot-kicks.
This will be the first time that the two former champions face off on Africa’s biggest stage and Regragui expects there will be very little between his team and the Lions of Teranga at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
However, the former Morocco international is determined to end his people’s pain by lifting the coveted trophy for the first time in 50 years.
“It’s a superb final with the best African teams of the last three years. A fantastic team and a golden people, brothers of Morocco. It’s a superb match-up,” he said.
“It’s a fifth-to-fifth tie. It’s the first time we’ve faced them in a final. The most important thing is that Morocco is in the final. I need to focus on bringing it home together.
“We still have room for improvement. We have a fighting spirit, a desire to play for the jersey. It has always been my objective to instill that.
“We need to change our DNA. We need to get used to playing in the semi-finals. The more consistent we are, the more titles we can win.”