This summer, Senegal and Morocco will both be coming to the Meadowlands to participate in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On Jun. 13, Morocco will face Brazil in the first World Cup match of the tournament at MetLife Stadium. A few days later, on Jun. 16, Senegal takes on France in the Meadowlands and, on Jun. 22, plays a second match at the venue, against Norway.
Before either team takes the field in the Garden State, they will be wrapping up AFCON 2025 (Africa Cup of Nations). The tournament, which looks to crown the best soccer team in Africa, began on Dec. 18, with the final match set for Jan. 18.
Currently, four teams remain standing after the group stages and elimination rounds, with Senegal and Morocco composing half of the list. Morocco recorded two wins, one draw and no losses in the group stages, going on to defeat Tanzania in the round of 16 and Cameroon in the quarter-final. Senegal also recorded two wins, one draw and no losses, defeating Sudan in the round of 16 and Mali in the quarter-final.
Both teams will now be playing in the semi-finals, though, not against one another. On Jan. 14, Senegal will face off against Egypt at 12 p.m., with Morocco competing against Nigeria at 3 p.m. Senegal and Morocco currently stand as the two most-favored teams to win the tournament, with Morocco getting the added benefit of hosting AFCON 2025.
As it stands, Senegal and Morocco are the two best soccer teams in Africa according to FIFA’s rankings. Morocco is ranked 11th and Senegal is ranked 19th, the two highest rankings by a significant margin. The closest African team behind them, Algeria, is ranked 34th.
Despite their success in the rankings, neither team has dominated AFCON. Senegal had the most recent tournament victory, winning AFCON in 2021, the nation’s first and only time hoisting the trophy. For Morocco, a win is decades in the making, as the team hasn’t won since 1976.
Both countries have been dominating the stat sheets, as Morocco’s Brahim Díaz leads the tournament in goals scored, finding the net five times, while Senegal’s Sadio Mané is second in assists, with three.
With the momentum of hosting the tournament, Morocco is in a good position to win AFCON for the first time in nearly 50 years. On the other hand, Senegal’s recent success looks to continue, where they hope to win the tournament for the second time in its past three appearances. Regardless of the outcome, both teams will be making their way to the Meadowlands in just a few months to take on some of the best soccer teams in the world.