Keypoints:
- Senegal’s AFCON winners are parading through Dakar on Tuesday
- The team is being received by the president at the palace
- Victory follows a dramatic and controversial final in Rabat
SENEGAL’S Africa Cup of Nations champions are parading through the streets of Dakar on Tuesday, as the country continues celebrating a dramatic continental triumph that has gripped the nation since Sunday night.
The open-top procession is moving across the capital from late morning, with the team’s journey ending at the presidential palace, where they are being formally received by President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
The celebrations are unfolding less than 48 hours after Senegal defeat hosts Morocco 1–0 in a tense and chaotic final in Rabat, clinched by Pape Gueye’s extra-time strike.
The parade is marking the culmination of Senegal’s AFCON campaign, a tournament defined by resilience, controversy and late drama, as tens of thousands of supporters line Dakar’s streets to welcome home the champions in scenes of national pride.
Late-night return sparks delay
The squad arrived back in Senegal shortly before midnight on Monday aboard a special charter flight from Morocco.
Despite the late hour, the players were welcomed at Blaise Diagne International Airport by President Faye, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and senior government officials, according to AFP.
The delayed arrival pushed organisers to adjust Tuesday’s parade schedule, with the official start time of 11:00 am local time slipping slightly as logistics were finalised.
Still, by early morning, crowds were already gathering along the planned route, undeterred by the wait.
Dakar dressed in national colours
Banners in green, yellow and red line major avenues as the parade passes through both working-class districts and affluent neighbourhoods.
The route stretches along the capital’s iconic Corniche highway, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, where supporters are waving flags, climbing streetlights and dancing to music blasting from portable speakers.
Authorities estimate tens of thousands are turning out, with car horns, drums and vuvuzelas echoing across the city.
The players are expected to reach the presidential palace later in the afternoon or early evening for an official ceremony.
Dramatic final still resonates
Senegal’s victory on Sunday is comes after one of the most controversial AFCON finals in recent memory.
With the match scoreless deep into injury time, Moroccan referee Jean-Jacques Ndala awarded the hosts a penalty following a VAR review for a challenge on Brahim Diaz.
Furious Senegal players briefly walked off the pitch, still protesting a goal disallowed minutes earlier for what they considered a soft foul.
As unrest broke out among supporters in the stands, the match eventually resumed, with Diaz seeing his penalty comfortably saved by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.
Extra time followed, and Pape Gueye’s decisive strike sealed the title for Senegal.
FA complaints, fans unmoved
Morocco’s football federation later confirmed it was referring the incidents — including protests by players and clashes involving supporters — to the Confederation of African Football and FIFA.
But in Dakar, the controversy is barely dampening the mood.
Celebrations erupted across the capital on Sunday night and continued into Monday, with fireworks lighting the skyline and fans dancing through the early hours.
Tuesday morning brought fresh waves of jubilation, as vuvuzelas sounded again and residents took up positions along the parade route.
Newspapers hail ‘heroic’ champions
Senegal’s press greeted the victory with exuberance.
‘Heroic!’ declared Le Soleil in a single-word headline, while L’Observateur branded the triumph ‘Unforgettable’.
For many supporters lining the streets on Tuesday, the emotion goes beyond football.
As one fan shouted above the music and horns, ‘This team reminds us who we are — strong, united, and never finished until the end.’
