AFCON final preview | Present and future of Ligue 1 face off in blockbuster finale | OneFootball

AFCON Final, Morocco v Senegal, 18/01/2026

“I think he made that announcement in the heat of the moment. The rest of the country does not agree,” Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw said of Sadio Mané’s decision to retire from international duty after full-time tonight. “I don’t think the decision belongs to him anymore, the country wants him to continue, I want him to continue and so does the team.”

In Rabat, the 33-year-old will lead the Lions de la Teranga in a continental final for the second time of his career, having scored the decisive goal in the semi-final against Egypt. Whether he goes back on his announcement remains to be seen, but the former Metz man would in any case exit the stage as one of Africa’s footballing greats by clinching Senegal’s second title. 

From a Ligue 1 perspective, the final could also be billed as a clash between Paris Saint-Germain’s present and future. While he is the face of the tournament (if the advertising boards in Rabat are anything to go by) Achraf Hakimi’s influence on the pitch has been hindered by the ankle injury he is only just recovering from. The full-back made his return to action for the final group stage match, but he has so far kept his characteristic bursts down the wing and forays into midfield to a minimum. 

Ibrahim Mbaye, meanwhile, has been a reliable impact substitute for Senegal. The forward, who only turns 18 next week, created Sadio Mané’s equaliser against DR Congo and scored the goal against Sudan which sealed the Teranga Lions’ spot in the quarter-finals. While all eyes will be on the retiring Sadio Mané, and to a lesser extent Nicolas Jackson and Iliman Ndiaye, the PSG academy product could be the key to unlocking the stubborn Moroccan defence if the match stretches into extra-time.

The hosts have super subs of their own, with the returning Hamza Igamane having relieved some of Ayoub El Kaabi’s frontline burden in the last two matches. While the Lille striker missed his penalty in the shoot-out against Nigeria, his technical hold-up play has offered Walid Regragui a different attacking profile to those of the overhead kick specialist and Youssef En-Nesyri.

The Atlas Lions will have built their title challenge starting from an impressive defensive unit. Regragui explained on Saturday that the mere presence of Marseille’s Nayef Aguerd was enough to “enhance” any of his centre-back partners, which for most of the tournament has been Adam Masina. In total, the pairing have limited their opponents to just two shots on target inside the box all tournament, one of them being Lassine Sinayoko’s penalty for Mali.

In Senegal’s backline, it’s Monaco winger Krépin Diatta who has emerged as an unlikely standout over the course of the tournament. The 26-year-old manages to cover the entirety of his wing throughout matches, compensating for an attacking-minded approach with rapid tracking back and effective one-on-one marking.

Playing alongside Diatta is the Lyon centre-back Moussa Niakhaté, who will be tasked with stepping up in the absence of Kalidou Koulibaly due to suspension. “We know that they’re playing at home and that the crowd will be with them,” the defender acknowledged on the eve of the final. “It’s not a problem, the match will be decided out on the pitch.“

The build-up to the final was briefly overshadowed by logistical (ticketing and training arrangements) as well as security complaints made by the Senegal FA. The players’ arrival at Rabat’s main train station with police presence within the crowd was a notable point of contention — “It’s not normal, my players were in danger,” Pape Thiaw lamented on Saturday. 

A statement released later in the day by the Senegal FA, though, indicated that their concerns had been addressed by the Moroccan FA. The Teranga Lions eventually trained that evening next to the Olympic Stadium, the annex ground that sits in the shadow of the Prince Moulay Abdellah stadium. With Walid Regragui calling on fans to take the noise levels up to “200 decibels” for the final, the Senegal team will have to brace themselves for an overwhelmingly hostile atmosphere once they enter the venue itself. 

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin – reporting from Rabat