Hosts Morocco face Mane's Senegal for AFCON glory

Rabat: The Africa Cup of Nations reaches its climax on Sunday with a showdown between host nation Morocco, looking to win the title for the first time...

Rabat: The Africa Cup of Nations reaches its climax on Sunday with a showdown between host nation Morocco, looking to win the title for the first time in 50 years, and Sadio Mane's powerful Senegal side.

The final kicks off at 1900 GMT at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, where almost all the 69,000 spectators will be backing Morocco, captained by African player of the year Achraf Hakimi.

The first AFCON ever to start in one year and end in another could be the second in a row to be won by the host nation, with the Atlas Lions aiming to follow in the footsteps of Ivory Coast, crowned champions on home soil in 2024.

Walid Regragui's Morocco have established themselves in recent years as Africa's pre-eminent national team, becoming the first from the continent to reach a World Cup semi-final, in 2022, and climbing to 11th place in the world rankings.

However, they have long been AFCON underachievers, with their only title to date coming in 1976. This will be their first final since 2004, when they lost to Tunisia when Regragui was part of the team.