AFCON
MALI, SENEGAL BATTLE FOR FIRST EVER AFRICAN U20 TITLE
A new champion is expected to emerge this Sunday to add to the nine that had won the CAF U20 Nations Cup in the past. Nigeria with seven titles, is the most successful country followed by Egypt with four and Ghana with three titles.
Others like Cameroon, Zambia, Algeria, Morocco, Angola and Congo have each won the title once since the competition was instituted in 1979.
Both Mali and Senegal who play the final match in Niamey, Niger Republic have never won the trophy before.
Mali will take on unbeaten Senegal on Sunday in the final of the Total U-20 Africa Cup of Nations in Niamey as both side seek for their first U-20 continental glory.
The highly anticipated clash at the Stade General Seyni Kountche will be a repeat of the opening Group B match, which Senegal won 2-0 in Maradi.
Midfielders Dion Lopy and Faly Ndaw scored in the second half to secure Les Lionceaux their first victory of the championship.
Youssouph Dabo’s charges followed that up with another 2-0 victory over 2009 FIFA U-20 World Cup champions Ghana to book their place at this year’s U-20s World Cup in Poland.
The confident young lions thrashed Burkina Faso 5-1 before managing a 1-0 semifinal victory over Thabo Senong’s South Africa en route to Sunday’s final.
The Aiglons of Mali despite losing to Senegal in the opening match of Group B in Maradi registered back-to- back 1-0 successes over Burkina Faso and Ghana to qualify for the semifinals.
They had to do it the hard way when facing Nigeria’s Flying Eagles in the last four in Niamey.
Mamadou Traore gave Mali the lead twelve minutes from time but Paschal Durugbor draw level for Nigeria forcing the match to extra time and penalties.
Nigeria missed two spot kicks as Mali converted four of their five kicks to sail through with a 4-3 score line.
Senegal’s coach Youssouph Dabo says the final will not be a repeat of the group encounter which his side won 2-0.
“Facing Mali will be a different match because it is a final. We have beaten them in the first game but I said it after that game that they can go far so I am not surprised to see them in the final,” he insisted.
Mali’s coach Mamoutou Kane admits his side where lucky against Nigeria in the semifinals which he said was exhausting.
“It was a very exhausting match in the head and in the belly. Luck was with us so congratulations and courage to the Nigerian coach.
“For us the goal is achieved we were the first team to have lost and we are today the first to qualify for the final.” Kane told journalist after qualifying for the final.
The two teams will be searching for their first Africa U-20 Cup of Nations triumph with Senegal finishing second in the last two editions.
They narrowly lost to Nigeria 1-0 in 2015 on home soil before going down 2-0 to Zambia in 2017.
The Moroccan National Tourism Office (ONMT) has kicked off a European promotional tour themed “Morocco, Land of Football” to boost the country’s visibility ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The roadshow, which began on June 16 and runs through June 23, is making stops in five key European cities: Madrid, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, and Milan.
According to a press release, the initiative is designed to enhance Morocco’s international profile through a blend of sports and cultural promotion, as the kingdom prepares to host the continent’s premier football tournament.
“Morocco is preparing to welcome Africa. Through this roadshow, we aim to tell a collective story of a country oriented towards the future, proud of its roots, and passionate about football,” said Achraf Fayda, Director General of ONMT.
The roadshow stems from a strategic partnership signed in April between the ONMT and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), with the shared goal of positioning Morocco as a leading global destination for both football and tourism by 2030.
At each stop, the tour is expected to engage over 100 travel agents, tour operators, media professionals, and African tourism experts. Participants are treated to immersive, multisensory experiences that highlight Morocco’s tourism offerings, while also facilitating networking with sports personalities.
The campaign targets travel professionals, sports industry stakeholders, and digital content creators as part of ONMT’s broader strategy to leverage AFCON 2025 for tourism development and international branding.
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The African Football Confederation (CAF) and Royal Air Maroc (RAM) have sealed a historic strategic partnership that grants Morocco’s national airline the status of “Official Global Partner” for upcoming major African football competitions.
The agreement was signed Saturday morning in Casablanca, in the presence of Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) President Fouzi Lekjaâ.
This partnership encompasses several prestigious tournaments, including the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (AFCON) 2025 (December 21, 2025 – January 18, 2026) and CAF Women’s Africa Cup of Nations Morocco (WAFCON) 2024 (July 5-26, 2025).
The agreement also covers CAF U-17 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF U-20 Africa Cup of Nations 2025, CAF Champions League 2024/2025 Finals, CAF Confederation Cup 2024/2025 Finals, and the CAF Women’s Champions League 2025.
CAF President Patrice Motsepe voiced enthusiasm about the collaboration.
“We are excited about the partnership between CAF and Royal Air Maroc, a world-class airline that will provide comfort and fly NationalTeams participating in the CAF competitions,” he said.
“We are confident that the CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 will be the most successful AFCON in the history of this competition.”
The agreement strengthens RAM’s footprint across Africa and globally, solidifying its role as a strategic gateway between Africa and the rest of the world. It also aligns with Morocco’s emergence as an international sports hub, with the country preparing to host AFCON 2025 and co-host the FIFA World Cup 2030.
RAM’s Chairman and CEO Hamid Addou stated: “This historic partnership with CAF aligns fully with our strategic vision as an airline deeply rooted in Africa and committed to its development.”
“Royal Air Maroc doesn’t just connect destinations; it builds bridges between cultures and passions. By supporting the continent’s biggest football competitions, we reaffirm our role as a facilitator of human and sporting exchanges,” he continued.
500,000 supporters expected
Beyond its partnership role, RAM will implement an exceptional operational system to meet increased demand during CAF competitions. The airline plans to welcome over 500,000 supporters for AFCON 2025.
“We believe we will surpass this figure by far,” revealed Addou. “We will be ready to accommodate these supporters across Royal Air Maroc’s entire network.”
The airline intends to double seat capacity from qualified countries already served by RAM, such as Dakar, Abidjan, Cairo, Tunis, Bamako, Lagos, and Douala.
RAM will also intensify flight frequencies from European cities with large African communities, including Paris, Brussels, Milan, London, Marseille, Lyon, Madrid, and Barcelona.
Additionally, the airline will establish a dedicated program for domestic air transport of national teams, shuttling them between their base camps and host cities.
This positioning establishes RAM as the primary connector between Africa and Europe through its Casablanca hub. FRMF President Fouzi Lekjaâ noted that the contract “reinforces Royal Air Maroc’s first-rate leadership role in Africa.”
“Royal Air Maroc is no stranger to football,” Lekjaâ added. “It has always supported generations of our athletes and footballers here in Morocco.”
“With this expertise and experience, they will contribute significantly to making AFCON 2025 Morocco exceptional, a historic turning point in African football, cultural coexistence and African cultural exchange,” he concluded.
Addou stressed RAM’s commitment to African unity: “We are all extremely proud to be African, and in every corner of this vast and magnificent continent, we share the same ambition—to actively contribute to Africa’s development and influence.”
The RAM CEO concluded by inviting everyone to upcoming CAF calendar events: “We’ll see you very soon for the great moments ahead in the CAF calendar, particularly the Women’s AFCON starting in July and, of course, the men’s AFCON, which kicks off on December 25.”
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The presidents of the regional councils concerned by the hosting of the matches of the Africa Cup of Nations (Morocco-2025) unanimously affirmed that the implementation of infrastructure projects in anticipation of this continental event “is progressing at a sustained pace”, declaring themselves “fully mobilized” to crown with success the major sporting events scheduled in the Kingdom.
They specified, in statements to the press in Rabat following a meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of the Interior devoted to the assessment of the progress of the construction and rehabilitation works of the stadiums, that major sports infrastructure projects are underway in the six host cities: Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Fez, Marrakech and Agadir.
The President of the Casablanca-Settat Regional Council, Abdellatif Maâzouz, announced that the projects planned for upcoming international sporting events, in particular the 2025 African Cup of Nations and the 2030 World Cup, “are proceeding under good conditions.”
The projects related to the organisation of the AFCON will be ready by next July at the latest, he assured, specifying that there is a clear vision regarding the preparations underway for the AFCON and the 2030 World Cup, both in terms of equipment and organisational arrangements related to human resources and animation.
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