The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 has reached its thrilling semi-final stage, with the four heavyweights—Egypt, Senegal, Morocco (the hosts), and Nigeria—advancing after a dramatic set of quarter-finals that concluded over the weekend of January 9-10, 2026.
With Egypt’s remarkable streak of reaching the final in their last seven semi-final appearances (unbroken since that 1984 penalty loss to Nigeria) still intact and Senegal’s recent dominance in big moments, Morocco’s home fire, and Nigeria’s knockout pedigree, the path to glory has never felt more intense. Football fans across the continent—and beyond—are in for two epic showdowns!
Here, AhotorSports’ Bright Junior previews these mouthwatering matchups.
Egypt vs Senegal
Egypt secured their spot in the last four with a tense and clinical 3-2 victory over the defending champions Côte d’Ivoire on Saturday night in Agadir. The Pharaohs struck early through Omar Marmoush in the 4th minute, doubled their lead via Ramy Rabia’s header from a Mohamed Salah corner on 32 minutes, and then saw Salah himself restore a two-goal cushion in the 52nd minute after an own goal from Ahmed Fatouh had pulled one back for the Ivorians just before halftime.
Despite a late response from Guéla Doué in the 73rd minute that made it 3-2 and sparked a frantic finale, Egypt held firm through stoppage time, showcasing their renowned knockout resilience. This sets up a highly anticipated rematch with Senegal in the semi-final on Wednesday, January 14, at the Grand Stade de Tanger in Tangier (kick-off 17:00 GMT / 18:00 local time).
It’s a repeat of the 2021 final, where Senegal triumphed on penalties, and also evokes memories of their 2022 World Cup playoff clash—adding layers of rivalry, with Salah and Sadio Mané set to renew their former Liverpool connection on opposite sides.
Senegal earned their semi-final place as the first team to advance, defeating Mali 1-0 in a gritty West African derby on Friday in Tangier. Iliman Ndiaye capitalized on a goalkeeping error from Djigui Diarra in the 27th minute to score the decisive goal, and the Teranga Lions then defended stoutly—especially after Mali went down to 10 men—to secure progression.
This marks Senegal’s strong modern-era form at the semi-final stage in the 21st century, where they’ve now advanced in four of their five appearances (with their only exit coming against Egypt in 2006), underlining their consistency since winning the title in 2021.
Prediction: Senegal to win narrowly, 2-1 (possibly after extra time or penalties). Egypt’s experience in knockouts is legendary, but Senegal’s recent big-game mentality and revenge factor from past meetings tip the scales. Expect tension, few goals, and a late decider.
Morocco vs Nigeria
Hosts Morocco progressed comfortably with a commanding 2-0 win over Cameroon on Friday in Rabat, thanks to goals from Brahim Díaz (who has been in sensational form throughout the tournament) and Ismaël Saibari.
The Atlas Lions kept a clean sheet and maintained momentum on home soil, setting up a blockbuster clash against Nigeria in the other semi-final on Wednesday, January 14, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat (kick-off 20:00 GMT / 21:00 local time).
Morocco’s record at this stage remains modest historically—they’ve only reached the final once in their four semi-final appearances, against Mali back in 2004—but the home advantage and current momentum make them a formidable force.
Nigeria completed the quartet with a disciplined 2-0 victory over Algeria in Marrakech on Saturday, where Victor Osimhen opened the scoring in the 47th minute and Akor Adams sealed it late to extinguish any Algerian comeback hopes.
The Super Eagles have shown variability in the 21st century at the semi-final level, being eliminated in five of their seven appearances during this period, but their two successful runs came against Mali in 2013 and South Africa in 2024—adding belief as they face the hosts in what promises to be a high-stakes encounter packed with talent.
These semi-finals on January 14, 2026, pit experience, star power, and national pride against one another, with the winners advancing to the final in Rabat on Sunday, January 18. The third-place play-off follows on Saturday, January 17.
Prediction: Morocco to progress, 2-1 in normal time. Home crowd energy, Díaz’s momentum, and a more balanced side should see the Atlas Lions through, though Nigeria’s firepower makes it close—expect goals and drama.