Morocco Hosts AFCON Final 37 Years After Last Time

Morocco takes on Senegal today in the African Cup of Nations final at Rabat's Prince Moulay Abdallah Stadium, a moment 37 years in the making. The last time Morocco hosted this tournament in 1988, they fell in the semifinals, but this year they've fought their way to the championship match on home soil.

The journey to this final tells a deeper story about African football's evolution. Morocco defeated both Cameroon and Nigeria in the knockout rounds, avenging losses from decades past when those nations denied them tournament glory.

South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe will oversee the final as president of the Confederation of African Football (CAF). His presence represents a remarkable shift from 1862, when the first recorded football match in Africa excluded native populations entirely, played only between white colonial officials in South Africa.

Both finalists carry rich football traditions stretching back over a century. Senegal's oldest club, ASC Jeanne d'Arc, was founded in 1923 by French Catholic missionaries who unknowingly planted seeds of resistance through the sport they brought to spread colonial values.

Egypt's Al Ahly club was founded in 1906 by students as an explicit act of anti-colonial nationalism. The club was born from Egypt's fierce independence movement and became a symbol of national pride that endures today.

The Ripple Effect

Football in Africa transformed from a colonial import into what historians call "the rebellious game." The sport became a tool for independence movements across the continent and later helped create practical examples of pan-African cooperation through tournaments like AFCON.

The Confederation of African Football and its continental competitions now showcase African talent to the world. They've created shared identity and pride across 54 nations, turning a game once used to enforce colonial hierarchy into a celebration of African excellence and unity.

Today's final features two nations with some of the oldest organized football traditions on the continent. The match represents not just athletic competition but the culmination of a journey from exclusion to ownership, from colonial control to African celebration.

Few could have imagined this trajectory when football first arrived on African shores over 160 years ago, and today the continent's passion for the beautiful game rivals anywhere on earth.