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Tens of thousands of Senegal football fans lined the streets of Dakar on Tuesday as the Lions of Teranga held a victory parade to celebrate their triumph in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Morocco.
Tens of thousands of football fans filled the streets of Dakar on Tuesday as Senegal’s national team, the Lions of Teranga, held a victory parade following their Africa Cup of Nations triumph over Morocco.
Players and coaching staff rode through the capital on an open-top bus, holding the trophy aloft as crowds surged along the route toward the presidential palace.
Fans walked and ran alongside the bus, particularly along the Corniche coastal highway, while others watched from sidewalks, bridges, cars and nearby buildings.
Senegal defeated host nation Morocco 1–0 in the final on Sunday in Rabat, securing the country’s second Africa Cup of Nations title after their first win in 2022.
President Bassirou Diomaye Faye congratulated the team during a reception at the presidential palace, calling the victory “historic”.
Faye told the players they had “demonstrated exceptional fighting spirit, extraordinary resilience, and an iron will, and that is what makes your victory historic”.
The parade began in Patte d’Oie, a working-class neighbourhood of Dakar, where thousands of supporters gathered early, wearing team jerseys, chanting and blowing vuvuzelas.
As the bus moved through the city, the noise intensified, with horns blaring and engines revving as fans celebrated.
Security forces, including anti-riot police, were deployed in large numbers along the route to manage the crowds.
The team arrived in Dakar shortly before midnight on Monday on a special flight from Morocco and was welcomed at the airport by President Faye, Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, and other government officials.
“I wouldn’t have missed this moment for the world,” said Doudou Thiam, a 26-year-old supporter watching the parade.
“The Lions are our pride and they deserve all the honours.”
