* 2025 host nation Morocco have reached the final in successive editions for the first time since 2004 and 2006, when Tunisia and Egypt both reached the final and won the tournament
* The last host nation to lose in the final was Nigeria in 2000, losing on penalties to Cameroon after a 2-2 draw
* Victory for Morocco would see host nations win back-to-back AfCON titles for the first time since 2004 and 2006, when Tunisia and Egypt were champions
Maravi Express
Hosts Morocco will be aiming to become the 4th host nation to reach the Africa Cup of Nations (AfCON) final and win the tournament when they take on 2023 champions Senegal in Sunday’s encounter — kicking off 21h00 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.
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The last three host nations to reach the final and went on to win the tournament are Tunisia in 2004, Egypt in 2006 and Côte d’Ivoire in 2023 — while Morocco as host nation have reached the final in successive editions for the first time since 2004 and 2006, when Tunisia and Egypt both reached the final and won the tournament.
The last host nation to lose in the final was Nigeria in 2000, losing on penalties to Cameroon after a 2-2 draw with victory for Morocco would see the host nation winning back-to-back AfCON titles for the first time since 2004 and 2006, when Tunisia and Egypt were champions.
Host nations to have won back-to-back final matches three times previously are Ethiopia and Ghana in 1962 and 1963, Ghana and Nigeria in 1978 and 1980, and Tunisia and Egypt in 2004 and 2006.
Host nations have been crowned AfCON champions 12 times previously — 1959 when Egypt were champions, where there was no direct final.
Eleven hosts have won the final — Ethiopia (1962), Ghana (1963), Sudan (1970), Ghana (1978), Nigeria (1980), Egypt (1986), Algeria (1990), South Africa (1996), Tunisia (2004), Egypt (2006) and Côte d’Ivoire (2023).
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Hosts have lost in the final three times. Two of those defeats — Nigeria against Cameroon in 2000 and Libya against Ghana in 1982 — were on penalties, while Tunisia lost to Ghana in 1965.
Hosts have been involved in a penalty shoot-out in the final four times — Egypt winning two finals on penalties in 1986 and 2006 against Cameroon and Côte d’Ivoire respectively, with both matches ending 0-0.
Hosts have lost twice on penalties: Libya against Ghana in 1982 after a 1-1 draw, and Nigeria against Cameroon in 2000 after a 2-2 draw and the only host nation to lose an AfCON final in open play was Tunisia in 1965, losing 3-2 after extra time to Ghana.
All three defeats by host nations in AfCON finals have gone to extra time with 10 of the 12 final victories by host nations being achieved in open play, with two decided on penalties.
Ghana and Nigeria’s 3-0 wins over Sudan and Algeria in the 1963 and 1980 finals are the biggest victories by a host nation in an AfCON final. The AFCON final involving a host nation with the most goals was Ethiopia’s 4-2 win over Egypt in 1962; that produced six goals and required extra time.
This is the 9th AfCON final between teams from West and North Africa. In the previous eight meetings, West African teams have triumphed four times and North African teams four times.
In past finals between teams from west and north Africa, West African teams triumphed in 1965 with Ghana defeating Tunisia, Nigeria over Algeria in 1980, Ghana against Libya on penalties in 1982, and Senegal against Egypt on penalties in 2021.
North African teams have triumphed over West African teams in AfCON final matches in 1990 when Algeria defeated Nigeria, in 2006 when Egypt defeated Côte d’Ivoire on penalties, in 2010 when Egypt beat Ghana, and in 2019 when Algeria defeated Senegal.
When West and North African teams have met in AfCON finals, five matches have been decided in open play and three on penalties — Ghana and Senegal defeating Libya and Egypt in 1982 and 2021 respectively, and Egypt defeating Côte d’Ivoire on penalties in 2006.
This is the 5th time a West African team has faced a North African host in the final. On two occasions, the West African team won — Ghana over Tunisia in 1965 and Ghana over Libya in 1982.
The other two finals saw the North African hosts triumph — Algeria over Nigeria in 1990 and Egypt over Côte d’Ivoire on penalties in 2006.
Senegal, featuring in their 4th final, will face a North African team in the final for the third time, having played Algeria in 2019 and Egypt in 2021; losing both and they face the host nation in an AfCON final for the first time.
The two most common scorelines in AfCON finals are 1-0 (eight times) and 0-0 (seven times). Since 2002, nine of the 12 finals have ended with one of those scorelines, with the other three being 2-1 victories for Tunisia in 2004, Cameroon in 2017 and Côte d’Ivoire in 2023.
Of the 32 previous AfCON finals, 12 have gone to extra time. Two — Ethiopia’s win over Egypt in 1962 and Ghana’s win over Tunisia in 1965 — were decided in open play. In 1974, DR Congo drew 2-2 with Zambia in the first final, which went to extra time, before winning the replay 2-0.
Nine AfCON finals have been decided on penalties, the first occurring in 1982 when Ghana defeated Libya 7-6 after a 1-1 draw. Since Cameroon and Nigeria’s 2-2 draw in the 2000 final, the last five finals to be decided on penalties have all ended 0-0 after 120 minutes.
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These were Cameroon over Senegal in 2002, Egypt against Côte d’Ivoire in 2006, Zambia over Côte d’Ivoire in 2012, Côte d’Ivoire against Ghana in 2015, and Senegal over Egypt in 2021 — with biggest win in a final remaining that of Egypt’s 4-0 victory over Ethiopia in 1957.
The full list of AfCON champions: Egypt (7 – 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010); Cameroon (5 – 1984, 1988, 2000, 2002, 2017); Ghana (4 – 1963, 1965, 1978, 1982); Nigeria (3 – 1980, 1994, 2013); Côte d’Ivoire (2 – 1992, 2015); Algeria (2 – 1990, 2019); DR Congo (2 – 1968, 1974).
One-off winners: Zambia (2012); Tunisia (2004); Sudan (1970); Ethiopia (1962); Morocco (1976); South Africa (1996); Congo (1972); and Senegal (2021).—Reporting by CAFonline; edited by Maravi Express
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