Senegal midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye has singled out Morocco for widespread acclaim, describing the organization of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations as a benchmark future host nations should aspire to emulate.
Speaking to the press after the Teranga Lions were forced to settle for a 1–1 draw against DR Congo in their second Group D outing on Saturday, the veteran Everton star reflected on the conditions surrounding the tournament, pointing to the infrastructure and match environments as key contributors to the spectacle on the pitch.
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“The other countries that will host the Africa Cup of Nations should do the same as we see in Morocco,” Gueye said.
The 35-year-old was particularly impressed by the quality of the stadiums and playing surfaces, noting that such standards elevate not only performances but the competition as a whole:
“We must congratulate Morocco on this organization. The facilities are very good, and the grass of the stadiums is absolutely wonderful, and this allows us to play beautiful football, and automatically these things raise the level of the tournament. This is what we will expect from the other countries that will organize the Africa Cup in the future.”
As debate continues over whether the ongoing edition could go down as the most demanding AFCON in history, Gueye urged patience before making sweeping judgments. With the group stage still unfolding, he believes the full story of the tournament is yet to be written.
“So far we have won one match and got one point against Congo, and we will see the result we achieve in the third match, and then history will tell us if this is the toughest edition of the Africa Cup of Nations,” he explained.
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Senegal now turn their focus to a decisive final Group D clash against Benin on Tuesday, December 30, with qualification for the knockout stages firmly in their sights.
