Morocco’s loss to Senegal in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final was painful, but as sports journalist Adil Azeroual notes, the real triumph lies not in the scoreline, but in the transformation of the national team and the nation’s expectations.
“If I close my eyes,” Azeroual writes, “I see a country standing together, a stadium breathing as one, a team that does not hide, and that strange new feeling…because we felt we were meant to lift the trophy.”
For years, Moroccan football celebrated effort over outcomes. Teams were praised with “well done, guys” or “you gave everything,” even in defeat.
Today, Azeroual observes, the tone has shifted. “We go home upset…not because we’re ungrateful, not because we disrespect the opponent, but because we’ve changed: we’ve grown accustomed to demanding more.” That change, he argues, is directly tied to the leadership of coach Walid Regragui.
Under Regragui, Morocco has moved from “hope” to “ambition.” Players now approach major tournaments asking not if they can survive, but how they can win. Azeroual calls it a subtle yet profound transformation—a mental, cultural, and almost generational shift.
“A final is also a mirror,” he writes, “and this mirror shows an image I wouldn’t have imagined so clearly years ago: Morocco has become a top African team, a respected reference, an opponent no one wants to face.”
Mistakes were made, and key decisions—like substitutions or missed penalties—will continue to spark debate. Yet, the final also revealed Morocco’s consistency and the team’s elevated mindset.
The players now operate with a belief that they belong at the highest level, and opponents prepare specifically to counter Morocco’s strength, a testament to the team’s rising stature.
Azeroual describes the nation’s grief as a “wealthy sadness”—not over being overwhelmed, but over touching something so close to realization.
Morocco in a final is no longer a miracle; it is an expectation, a habit they intend to convert into a title. “Coach, you put Morocco back on the map. You changed our mentality.
“Today we are sad because we lost a final. Yesterday, we would have been happy just to reach it,” Azeroual concludes, emphasizing that Regragui’s true victory is the team’s lasting transformation.
