THE French-Algerian journalist thinks Senegal won't win the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, which will run from December 21, 2025, to January 19, 2026. Although he agrees that Senegal has the strongest team on paper, Walid Acherchour believes Egypt, led by Mohamed Salah, will end up as champions.
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"Senegal winning AFCON?
No way. Just like Morocco. I was really torn between choices, but I’m choosing Egypt. That’s how I feel. The Egyptian team is very tough to beat in a competition. In recent years, they've only lost in penalty shootouts. The Egyptian league remains very strong, especially in African competitions. And Mohamed Salah and Omar Marmoush, who started the season in the shadows, will come to Morocco ready to fight," said Walid Acherchour on the Winamax FC show.
He also believes that Pape Thiaw’s team won’t go past the quarterfinals.
"In my predictions, I see Senegal facing Tunisia in the quarterfinals. With their solid defense, the Tunisians will beat the Senegalese," he said.
During the show, which was focused solely on predictions for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, Acherchour predicted a North African team would win.
"I believe this AFCON will be won by a country from the North. I don’t see Morocco because of the pressure, not Algeria, which is still behind, and not Tunisia, which has attack problems. But I do see Egypt," he added.
Regarding Senegal, the journalist has some concerns.
"Senegal's squad is strong, but you can't win AFCON with just a good squad. I have two questions. The first is about Pape Thiaw. How will he manage his first AFCON? He has handled things well since being appointed, but he came in as an interim coach. The second question is about how Sadio Mané is managed. Like with Mahrez and Algeria, we’ll have to see how they handle Mané and his role in the team because there are many attacking options," he explained.
It should be noted that on the Winamax FC panel, the other three consultants—Tidiany M'bo, Elton Mokolo, and Najim Medini—all predicted Senegal would be the team to win the tournament.