Former star visits Senegal’s camp ahead of AFCON 2025 semi-final clash with Egypt

Senegal players have wrapped up their preparations for the highly anticipated showdown against Egypt in the semi-finals of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, currently taking place in Morocco.

Egypt will face Senegal tomorrow, Wednesday, at 5:00 PM GMT at the Grand Stade de Tanger, with a place in the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 final on the line.

Senegal’s final training session was attended by former national team star Mamadou Niang, who was keen to show his support for the squad ahead of the crucial encounter. Niang held talks with Lions head coach Pape Thiaw and also met with team captain Sadio Mané before the decisive match.

🇸🇳🦁 Le sélectionneur national Pape Thiaw en pleine discussion avec l’ancien international sénégalais Mamadou Niang, présent lors de la dernière séance d’entraînement des Lions.#Dsports l #CAN2025 #SENEGY pic.twitter.com/fKYqpUEg0S

— Khadim Diakhaté (@Ahmadoubamba36) January 13, 2026

Niang, the former Marseille, Fenerbahçe and Al Sadd striker, has a history against Egypt. He previously faced the Pharaohs in the semi-finals of the 2006 Africa Cup of Nations, hosted in Egypt, scoring Senegal’s only goal in a 2-1 defeat.

Over the course of his international career, Mamadou Niang earned 59 caps for Senegal, scoring 19 goals. He also featured in 15 Africa Cup of Nations matches across four different editions: 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2012.

The winner of this semi-final will advance to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 final, where they will face the winner of the other semi-final between hosts Morocco and Nigeria. The final is scheduled to be played next Sunday.

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