AFCON
A To Z Of Dramatic Tournament –
A goal glut, shocks galore, a Moroccan red-carded twice, an astonishing comeback by hosts Ivory Coast to win Sunday’s final after two group losses. The 2024 Africa Cup of Nations had it all.
Here, AFP Sport recalls alphabetically some of the drama from a 24-nation tournament regarded by many observers as the most exciting since the event debuted in 1957 in Sudan with just three teams.
A
Quarter-finalists Angola were a revelation under coach Pedro Goncalves, winning three matches in a row having failed to achieve more than one victory at a time in eight previous appearances.
B
AFCON-winning coach Djamel Belmadi was fired after Algeria flopped, with a loss to minnows Mauritania leading to a first-round exit for the Riyad Mahrez-captained side.
C
Champions Ivory Coast started the final with three players based in Saudi Arabia, two each in England, Germany and Turkey, and one each in France and Italy.
D
Democratic Republic of Congo coach Sebastien Desabre set a minimum target of a quarter-finals place and went one stage further with a hard-working team well led by centre-back Chancel Mbemba.
E
Energy-sapping conditions forced water breaks in each half of matches, with many kicking off in 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) heat and high humidity.
F
Former international Emerse Fae replaced sacked Ivory Coast coach Jean-Louis Gasset after the group stage without ever having been in charge of a senior team and guided them to the title.
G
A record 119 goals for a 24-team AFCON tournament were scored in the Ivory Coast — 17 more than in Egypt five years ago — at an average of 2.28 per match.
H
Paris Saint-Germain star Achraf Hakimi missed a penalty as shock 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco bowed out in the round of 16 after a 2-0 defeat by South Africa.
I
A hamstring injury midway through a second-round group match against Ghana forced Egypt talisman Mohamed Salah out of the tournament. Without him, the Pharaohs made a last-16 exit.
J
A private jet took Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana to the AFCON, but Cameroon coach Rigobert Song was not impressed by his late arrival and used him only once in four matches.
K
West Ham star Mohammed Kudus could not prevent a second straight disastrous campaign by Ghana, whose first-round departure led to former Premier League manager Chris Hughton being axed.
L
Ademola Lookman played a key role as eventual runners-up Nigeria reached an eighth AFCON final, scoring twice against Cameroon and the winner against Angola in knockout matches.
M
Sadio Mane and Senegal made an ultimately disappointing title defence. After a perfect three-win group record, they lost a last-16 tie on penalties to resurgent Ivory Coast.
N
Emilio Nsue,a 34-year-old who plays in the Spanish third division, scored a hat-trick against Guinea-Bissau, the first at an AFCON since Moroccan Soufiane Alloudi in 2008.
O
Reigning African Player of the Year Victor Osimhen may have scored only once for runners-up Nigeria, but his work rate in searing heat and constant harrying of defenders won rave reviews.
P
Some Premier League players, including Yves Bissouma of Mali and Dango Ouattara of Burkina Faso, did not have the expected impact due to illness and injury.
Q
Despite a humiliating 4-0 defeat by Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast supporters queued from 0400 for tickets to watch the last-16 clash with Senegal in Yamoussoukro.
R
Moroccan Sofyan Amrabat was red-carded twice against South Africa — firstly after two yellow cards then, following a VAR review, he was shown a straight red for a last-defender foul.
S
South Africa, whose starting line-ups included nine local-based players, exceeded expectations under Belgian coach Hugo Broos by finishing third.
T
Former champions Tunisia were among the biggest disappointments as they failed to win and scored only once, leading to coach Jalel Kadri quitting after a first-round exit.
U
There were many upsets with seven of the FIFA top 10-ranked African teams — Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Cameroon, Burkina Faso — failing to reach the quarter-finals.
V
Rui Vitoria of Egypt was among seven coaches sacked for poor results or controversial comments. Under the Portuguese, the Pharaohs failed to win any of four group and knockout matches.
W
South Africa goalkeeper Ronwen Williams broke Cape Verde hearts by saving four of their five kicks in a penalty shootout after a goalless quarter-final.
X
Several Ivory Coast players, including Seko Fofana, Franck Kessie, Oumar Diakite and Sebastien Haller twice, shared the x-factor role during an amazing recovery to win the tournament.
Y
Reigning African Young Player of the Year Lamine Camara scored a superb goal as Senegal kicked off with a 3-0 win over the Gambia, but he made little subsequent impact.
Z
Back at the AFCON after three consecutive failed qualifying campaigns, Avram Grant-coached Zambia failed to sparkle and two points was not enough to take them beyond the first round.
-AFP
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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AFCON
‘Land of Football’ is ‘Kingdom of Light’ as Moroccan Tourism Office and Football Federation Strike Accord
BY KUNLE SOLAJA.
Morocco’s football federation and tourism office have signed a groundbreaking agreement to establish the country as a major football and tourism destination leading to the milestone 2030 World Cup when the global football tournament clocks a century.
The Moroccan football body and the Tourism Office are building on the national team’s recent international success.
Though with just one success in the Africa Cup of Nations, Moroccan football soars higher than the rest in Africa and the Arab world at the World Cup.
Apart from being the only African and Arab country to have reached the World Cup semi-final stage, Morocco in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico became the first African team not to be defeated in a World Cup match when they forced Bulgaria to a 1-1 draw on 11 June.
Again, in Mexico, this time at the 1986 World Cup, Morocco became the first African team to top a group and cross the group stage.
They were just two minutes away from a major upset of West Germany in the round of 16 before Lothar Matthäus’ back-breaking goal.
The success of the football team and the tourism potential of Morocco have found a harmonious chord.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and the National Moroccan Tourism Office (ONMT) will work together under the banner “Morocco, Land of Football,” placing the sport at the heart of the country’s tourism strategy.
“More than an institutional partnership, this convention is a shared vision: that of a Morocco that shines through football and makes it a lever for promotion, pride and tourist attractiveness,” ONMT said in a statement released after the signing.
The timing of this collaboration is strategic, coming ahead of two major sporting events: the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which Morocco will co-host with Spain and Portugal.
The initiative builds on widespread public enthusiasm following the Atlas Lions’ historic World Cup performance in 2022.
Under the agreement, both organizations will implement an integrated communication strategy combining visibility campaigns, influence marketing, and joint promotional activities.
The initiative will mobilize iconic figures from Moroccan football to bring this vision to life, to showcase the country’s world-class sporting facilities, rich cultural heritage, and diverse tourist attractions.
ONMT has launched a major offensive at making Morocco, the ultimate tourism and business destination as the clock ticks down to the 35th Africa Cup of Nations holding in December.
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