Morocco’s Prince Moulay Rachid welcomed the country’s national football team at the Royal Guest Palace in Rabat on Monday to celebrate their performance in the Africa Cup of Nations.
Prince Moulay Rachid meets Morocco football players after AFCON final defeat
Morocco players react after losing the Africa Cup of Nations final football match between Senegal and Morocco in Rabat, Morocco, 18 January 2026
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The Atlas Lions reached the tournament’s final but conceded the crown to Senegal at the end of a chaotic match on Sunday.
The Teranga Lions beat host Morocco 1-0 in a dramatic final in Rabat, which at one point saw Senegal’s players leave the field to protest a penalty decision.
On Monday, Prince Moulay Rachid, the brother of King Mohammed VI, greeted the players, their coach Walid Regragui and the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation Fouzi Lekjaa, before they posed for a commemorative photograph.
Meanwhile, the king sent a congratulatory message to the team right after the final on Sunday evening.
“Perseverance, seriousness, and team spirit are the path to achieving success, and you have presented the world with a model of what Moroccan and African youth can achieve when they are armed with confidence in their talents and abilities,” the monarch said in his message.