History of home teams in the Africa Cup of Nations final before facing Morocco and Senegal

On Sunday evening, the eyes of football fans in Africa and the world will be on the Kingdom of Morocco, where the stadium will host the final match of the 35th edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, a heavyweight clash between the Moroccan national team (the Atlas Lions), the home team, and their Senegalese counterparts (the Lions of Teranga), in a football summit that promises a lot of excitement and competitiveness.

Home advantage and crowd support: a historic incentive towards gold

Hosting major tournaments has always played a crucial role in giving home teams an edge. The immense fan support, intimate knowledge of the stadium atmosphere, and the absence of travel all contribute to what is known as the "12th man." In the history of the Africa Cup of Nations specifically, statistics indicate that home advantage often works in their favor, with reaching the final itself being a significant achievement for host nations.

Historically, since the tournament's inception, host nations have reached the final on 15 previous occasions. Interestingly, 12 of these teams capitalized on home advantage to lift the coveted trophy, while only three – Tunisia (1965), Libya (1982), and Nigeria (2000) – had to settle for silver medals and heartbreak on their own soil.

The list of host champions... Egypt leads the way

When discussing the benefits of hosting the tournament, the Egyptian national team stands out as the most frequent beneficiary historically, having won the title on home soil on three occasions (1959, 1986, 2006). The list of teams that have won the title on home ground also includes:

• Ghana: crowned twice (1963, 1978).
• Ethiopia: (1962).
• Sudan: (1970).
• Nigeria: (1980).
• Algeria: (1990).
• South Africa: (1996).
• Tunisia: (2004).
• Ivory Coast: (2023).

The importance of the title for Morocco and its anticipated impact

This final holds special significance for Moroccan football, which is enjoying its golden era following its historic achievement at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, reaching the semi-finals. The Atlas Lions are aiming to break the continental title drought that has eluded them since 1976, seizing this golden opportunity on home soil to reaffirm their continental dominance. Winning this title would not only be an addition to their trophy collection, but would also represent the culmination of a massive sporting project and enormous investments in sports infrastructure that have made Morocco a hub for international tournaments.

On the other hand, the Senegalese national team is not an easy opponent, as it is the champion of the 2021 edition and has a golden generation of professional players in the biggest European leagues, which makes the match a tactical and technical struggle open to all possibilities, despite the historical indicators that favor Morocco with a success rate of up to 80% for the hosts in the finals.