The reason the mood has shifted is obvious. Morocco’s run to the 2022 World Cup semi-finals did more than make history; it altered the psychological ceiling for African sides. What once felt improbable now looks imaginable.
That is why optimism around Walid Regragui’s side still carries weight. With Achraf Hakimi as the headline figure and a squad that has shown tactical discipline on the biggest stage, Morocco appears to be the team many believe could go deepest again.
If Morocco have recent World Cup proof, Senegal have their own strong case. The core of the side has tournament experience, big-game temperament and established names such as Sadio Mané, Idrissa Gueye and Edouard Mendy.
Yet the caution is understandable. Winning a World Cup means surviving several different kinds of test: elite European opposition, dangerous South American sides, and increasingly ambitious teams from other regions too. That is why some former African stars reportedly prefer to frame success more carefully, seeing a deep run as realistic even if the title remains a huge ask.
There is another layer to this debate. The reported dispute over the annulled 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco still hangs over the continental picture, with the case said to be unresolved.
That uncertainty adds edge rather than weakness. If anything, it sharpens the sense that the continent’s two strongest modern projects may still have another chapter to write.
The next storyline is simple: when 2026 draws closer, can belief turn into proof? Morocco and Senegal look like the standard-bearers, and African football will be watching to see whether one of them can turn possibility into a genuine title push.