Rabat: By enthusiastically hosting the 35th Africa Cup of Nations (CAN 2025), Morocco is 'proud to have offered, on its soil, a month of popular joy and sporting emotion, and to have contributed to the influence of Africa and its football,' King Mohammed VI affirmed. 'This edition of the continental competition will be a landmark, because beyond its excellent sporting results, it has allowed us to measure the qualitative leap that the Kingdom has made on the path of development and progress, the result of a long-term vision and a unique and successful Moroccan model that places the citizen at the center of all ambitions,' the Moroccan Sovereign said in a statement published this Thursday by the Royal Cabinet.
According to Burkina Information Agency, at the conclusion of this edition of the AFCON (December 21, 2025 - January 18, 2026), King Mohammed VI thanked all components of the Moroccan nation who admirably contributed to the complete success of this magnificent event. He addressed his compliments to the millions of Moroccans, women, men and children who have continued to support, each in their own way and always in an exemplary manner, their national team, now ranked 8th best team in the world.
This remarkable result, the Sovereign maintains, is the fruit in particular of a proactive and high-level sports and infrastructure policy, as well as the patriotic choice made by the talented children of Moroccans around the world to wear the national team jersey and defend its colors with pride and brilliance. The King noted that 'even though this great continental football festival hosted by the Kingdom seems to have been sadly marred by the unfortunate episode of the last minutes of the final match between the national teams of Morocco and Senegal, during which unfortunate incidents and very deplorable actions took place, it remains that once the passion has subsided, inter-African fraternity will naturally prevail, because this Moroccan success is also an African success.'
Furthermore, faced with the denigration and certain attempts at discrediting suffered, the Sovereign remains convinced that hostile designs will never achieve their ends, that the Moroccan people know how to distinguish between things and that they will not allow themselves to be drawn into resentment and discord. 'Nothing can alter the close ties cultivated over the centuries between our African peoples, nor the fruitful cooperation built with the various countries of the Continent and strengthened by ever more ambitious partnerships,' insists the Sovereign.
Stressing that 'the Kingdom of Morocco is and will remain a great African country, faithful to the spirit of fraternity, solidarity and respect that it has always cultivated towards its Continent', King Mohammed VI assured that Morocco 'will continue its determined and constant commitment to a united and prosperous Africa, in particular through the mutual sharing of its experiences, expertise and know-how'.