FAVORITES OR VICTIMS? CAN MOROCCO BREAK THE HOST NATION AFCON CURSE
Morocco enters AFCON 2025 as the top seed, but with only one title from 1976, can they finally handle the immense home pressure?
Morocco enters the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as the favourite. They’ve got a talented team and an impressive unbeaten record playing at home. Still, history isn't on their side. They've had their share of disappointments in the past, and host countries haven't done great in the tournament over the last 20 years.
Morocco hasn’t lost at home since a friendly against Gabon back in 2019. Their last loss in a competitive home game was against Cameroon in 2009 during a World Cup qualifier.
After their 2022 World Cup run to the semi-finals, the best for an African team, they're seen as the top team. The other 23 teams will have a tough time beating them for the title.
But we've seen this before. The Moroccan team has come into the Cup of Nations as a favourite before, only to disappoint.
Take the Ivory Coast tournament a couple of years ago. Their team was full of stars but lost 2-0 to South Africa in the Round of 16.
Despite all their talent, Morocco hasn't reached the semi-finals of the Cup of Nations since they came in second to Tunisia in 2004. Their only win was way back in 1976 in Ethiopia.
The pressure from the home crowd will for sure be on them, and that can mess with players.
The last time Morocco hosted in 1988, they were also the favourites. They lost 1-0 to Cameroon in the semi-finals and then lost to Algeria in the third-place match.
It's just one example of a host nation not living up to expectations.
"Sure, there's extra pressure, but we're not shying away from it," said Morocco's coach, Walid Regragui. It's not just on me but on the players too. It's a big deal, and we're okay with it.
Some (Morocco) fans have been waiting to see us win this since 1976.
The fans and the team need to be united. This pressure has to be a good thing, and if it gets bad, we'll deal with it. We're ready and have what it takes to have a great tournament.”
Morocco is in Group A with Mali, Zambia, and Comoros, which won’t be easy.
We respect all the teams in our group. Everyone wants to win, but with the talent and drive we have, we believe we can make our fans happy.”
Regragui said earlier this year that he’s the right person to win the trophy for Morocco.
You won't find anyone better than me for the next African Cup of Nations. I believe I can win it. If Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti could promise us the trophy, I'd give them my spot. But that's not going to happen.”
Ivory Coast won at home two years ago, even though they barely made it out of their group and lost 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea.
But they're the first home team to win in 10 tries, since Egypt in 2006.
Looking back, there have only been three home wins in the last 16 tournaments—Tunisia (2004), Egypt (2006), and Ivory Coast (2023). Before that, South Africa won as hosts in 1996.
In the 34 tournaments so far, 12 hosts have won, but eight of those were before 1991.
The hosts who've won are Egypt (1959, 1986, 2006), Ethiopia (1962), Ghana (1963, 1978), Sudan (1970), Nigeria (1980), Algeria (1990), South Africa (1996), Tunisia (2004), and the Ivory Coast (2023).
Three host nations lost in the final: Tunisia (1965), Libya (1982), and Nigeria (2000).
The worst a host can do is get knocked out in the group stage, which happened to Ethiopia (1976), Ivory Coast (1984), Tunisia (1994), and Gabon (2017).
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
