Senegal booked their place in the final of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 with a narrow 1-0 victory over record champions Egypt in a gripping semi-final encounter on Wednesday night in Tangier.

The highly anticipated clash between two African football giants lived up to expectations, with both sides displaying tactical discipline and intensity. Senegal, however, showed greater composure in the crucial moments to edge past an Egyptian team chasing a historic eighth continental title.

The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when captain Sadio Mané produced a moment of brilliance. The forward fired a right-footed effort from outside the penalty area, finding the bottom left corner after a swift attacking move that briefly unsettled Egypt’s defence.

Egypt responded by committing more players forward in search of an equaliser, with Mohamed Salah spearheading the late push. Despite sustained pressure and several probing attacks, the Pharaohs were unable to break down Senegal’s well-drilled defence and confident goalkeeping.

Senegal remained organised and resolute in the closing stages, managing the game with maturity to secure the hard-earned win.

The result rekindles memories of the two nations’ last AFCON meeting in the 2021 final, where Senegal triumphed on penalties to lift their first title. This time, the Teranga Lions settled the contest within regulation time to seal their place in the final.

Senegal will now prepare for Sunday’s final, where they will face either hosts Morocco or Nigeria, who are contesting the second semi-final.

FIFA has unveiled a new ticket pricing category designed to make the 2026 FIFA World Cup more affordable for fans of qualified national teams, as demand for tickets continues to rise worldwide.

The global football body announced the introduction of the Supporter Entry Tier, which will be sold at a fixed price of 60 United States dollars per ticket. The category will be available across all 104 matches of the expanded tournament, including the final, and is aimed at easing the cost burden for supporters travelling to follow their national teams in Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

FIFA explained that tickets under this new tier will be reserved exclusively for fans of nations that qualify for the World Cup. The responsibility for allocating and distributing these tickets will rest with the Participating Member Associations, each of which will set its own eligibility rules and application procedures. According to FIFA, the goal is to prioritise loyal supporters with strong ties to their national teams.

Under the revised ticket allocation structure, half of each Participating Member Association’s ticket quota will fall within the lowest price categories. This includes the Supporter Value Tier, which represents 40 per cent of the allocation, and the new Supporter Entry Tier, accounting for 10 per cent. The remaining 50 per cent will be split equally between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier.

FIFA also introduced a relief measure for fans whose teams do not advance beyond the group stage. Supporters who apply for tickets through their national associations and later become ineligible due to team elimination will have administrative fees waived when refunds are issued.

The announcement comes amid record-breaking interest in the 2026 World Cup. FIFA revealed that the ongoing random selection draw sales phase has already received 20 million ticket requests since it opened on Thursday, December 11, 2025. Demand has continued to increase following the publication of the full match schedule, host venues, and kick-off times for the tournament, scheduled to run from Thursday, June 11 to Sunday, July 19, 2026.

The random selection draw application window will remain open until Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 11:00 Eastern Time. FIFA noted that submitting an application earlier does not improve the chances of securing tickets and urged fans to apply and review full ticketing details via the official FIFA website.

FIFA further reiterated its not-for-profit status, stating that revenue generated from the World Cup is reinvested into football development worldwide. The organisation expects to reinvest more than 90 per cent of its planned budget for the 2023 to 2026 cycle into men’s, women’s, and youth football programmes across its 211 member associations.

Dansoman Liberty Sports Academy forward Yussif Saani has been invited to join the Ghana U20 national team as part of the latest screening phase for next year’s WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship.

The 17-year-old made a strong impression in the maiden MTN Elite U19 Championship and will report to the Ghanaman Soccer Centre of Excellence in Prampram on Monday, November 24, 2025, where the second batch of selected players is expected to assemble.

Saani’s rise has been quick and well earned. His calm finishing, creativity, and technical strength made him one of the standout players in the Elite U19 Championship. He continued that form at the recent SBE Tournament in Accra, where he reaffirmed his growing reputation as one of the most exciting young talents in Ghana.

Head Coach Maxwell Konadu and his technical team are currently assessing different groups of emerging players as they work to build a competitive squad for the challenges ahead. The screening process is designed to give both established youth players and newly discovered talents a fair chance to compete for a place in the final U20 team.

Source: GFA