Senegal’s ‘historic’ AFCON champions honored with parade and presidential praise

Senegal’s president congratulated the Lions of Teranga on Tuesday on their «historic» victory in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco, after tens of thousands of football fans packed the streets of Dakar for a festive homecoming parade.

The players and coaches waved their trophies from an open-top bus for more than seven hours as they made their way through the capital and past huge crowds of fans, finally reaching the presidential palace at dusk.

At a ceremony on the ground, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye told the players that they had shown “an exceptional fighting spirit, extraordinary resilience and an iron will, and that is what makes your victory historic”.

Downtown was overcome by a feverish almost deafening sound – revving engines, horns, vuvuzelas and shouts – as the players arrived for the reception.

All day long, throngs of mostly younger fans filled the streets with electric energy, singing, whistling, waving flags, dancing and blowing vuvuzelas.

Some even walked or ran alongside the bus as crowds lined the sidewalks, sometimes watching from buildings and bridges, or even climbing onto cars and billboards to get a view.

Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations when they defeated hosts Morocco 1-0 in a chaotic final in Rabat on Sunday, which saw the eventual champions storm off the field late in the match.

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The team arrived back in Senegal on a special flight shortly before midnight on Monday, where they were greeted by President Faye, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and other members of the government.

Fan Doudou Thiam told it AFP from the sidelines of the parade in the Bourguiba district that he “wouldn’t have missed this moment for anything in the world”.

“The Lions are our pride and they deserve all the credit,” said the 26-year-old, who wore a Senegal jersey.

– Din of victory –

After Senegal’s victory, fans poured through the streets, filling the air with honks, fireworks and the deafening roar of vuvuzelas.

The victory marked Senegal’s second title, after beating Egypt in Cameroon in 2022. It was the team’s third final in just four editions.

Hortense Kenny took her five-year-old child to watch the parade in the working-class neighborhood of Patte d’Oie, where the procession began.

“The Lions made an entire nation proud by beating the host nation in those conditions,” she said AFPreferring to the end of the match.

«Now all that remains is to win the World Cup. With Sadio Mane, anything is possible,» she said, referring to the team’s biggest star.

His role as peacemaker during the final – he was the one who stayed on the pitch and persuaded his teammates to return – has been widely praised.

Faye praised Mane in his speech, calling him “a player who has left his mark on this final and this competition through his talent but especially through his sense of responsibility.”

The president also awarded each player 75 million CFA francs ($134,000) as well as a plot of land along Senegal’s sought-after Petite Côte.

– Controversial victory –

Tuesday’s crowd seemed unfazed by a cloud of controversy surrounding their team’s decision to leave the field late in normal time in protest at the penalty awarded to Morocco.

At Mane’s insistence, they returned to the pitch and an attempted ‘Panenka’ penalty from Morocco’s Brahim Diaz was easily saved by Senegal’s goalkeeper before Pape Gueye won the match with a fantastic shot in extra time that stunned the Moroccan crowd.

The Moroccan Football Federation said it had referred the incidents, including protests by Senegalese players and fans, to the Confederation of African Football and FIFA.

READ ALSO | Brahim Diaz apologizes for failed Panenka penalty in AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal

In his speech, Faye congratulated Morocco “for the tremendous efforts made in organizing” the competition and congratulated his team on a “remarkable achievement.

Far from Morocco, the lucrative business side of football had even seeped into the streets of Dakar on Tuesday.

Amath Ndiaye, a 36-year-old street vendor who usually sells tissues, said AFP he has taken to wearing jerseys, flags, vuvuzelas and whistles during AFCON and its festive aftermath.

On Tuesday, he basked in the wisdom of his decision.

“I’m doing well,” he said AFP of Patte d’Oie, near the cheerful crowd decked out in patriotic Senegalese gear and waving flags.

Published on January 21, 2026