By Martin Graham
Morocco carry the expectations of their supporters as they prepare to face Senegal in the decisive match of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. Playing on home soil in Rabat, the North African side will contest the final against opponents who have become regulars at the tournament’s business end in recent editions.
Their path to the showdown was anything but straightforward. A tense semifinal against Nigeria remained scoreless across two hours of play, with the hosts only advancing via a shootout. Awaiting them now is a Senegal team appearing in a fourth title match across the last four competitions, a level of recent consistency their rivals cannot match.
A solitary triumph in a unique format
The Atlas Lions’ lone continental crown came half a century ago at the 1976 finals in Ethiopia. That edition differed from modern tournaments, as no single championship match was staged to decide the winner.
Instead, eight teams were split into two initial pools, with the leading sides advancing into a second round group. Victories over Egypt and Nigeria by identical 2-1 margins placed Morocco in control ahead of a final encounter with Guinea, who also had a chance to claim the trophy.
An opening goal before the interval gave Guinea the advantage, but a late effort from midfielder Ahmed Makrouh, struck four minutes before the end, swung the outcome and secured the title.
Near misses and a final defeat
In the years following their breakthrough, Morocco regularly progressed deep into the competition without lifting the trophy again. They exited at the semifinal stage on three occasions between 1980 and 1988.
Their only return to a decisive match came in 2004. That campaign ended in disappointment, as Tunisia edged a 2-1 victory in a final contested between neighboring nations.
Hosting setback and tournament exclusion
Morocco were originally scheduled to stage the 2015 edition of the tournament. However, concerns raised by the national authorities in late 2014 over the Ebola outbreak in West Africa led to a request for a delay.
When a deadline set by the Confederation of African Football passed without confirmation, the hosting rights were withdrawn. The tournament was moved to Equatorial Guinea, and Morocco — initially set to participate automatically — were removed from the competition entirely.
