A date with history and a moment to seize: Saintfiet eyes Malian glory in Morocco
Mali head to Tangier knowing that destiny awaits as they prepare to face Senegal in the quarter-finals of the TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), Morocco 2025, on Friday.
Les Aigles, whose finest performance at the continental showpiece remains their run to the final in 1972 — a campaign that ended in defeat to Congo Brazzaville — are determined to defy the odds once again and keep alive their dream of lifting a second continental crown.
Guided by the experienced Tom Saintfiet, Mali approach this last-eight showdown brimming with belief, even as they arrive at this stage without a single victory in open play. The Belgian tactician spoke to CAFOnline ahead of the clash with the Teranga Lions, outlining his ambitions and the mindset driving his side as they look to push their AFCON journey even further.
CAFOnline: How has you experience at the TotalEnergies AFCON, Morocco 2025 been?
It has been a fantastic AFCON so far. I have always loved Morocco for its ability to organize major sporting events. It is a beautiful country with good hotels, magnificent stadiums and excellent pitches for training. And now we see that the biggest teams are the ones left in the quarter-finals. We also have this result because the infrastructure is perfect.
The atmosphere in the stadiums, with many spectators, has been great. We train at the Raja Academy and it’s fantastic to train there. Overall, I really like this AFCON. The only small problem is the temperature and the rain, but that’s beyond our control.
I would say it’s a very good AFCON, well organized, with a great atmosphere. The supporters are very positive in the streets.
From a technical and tactical perspective, what have been the key challenges for your team in the matches played so far?
Each match has been different. We started well against Zambia but missed a penalty. We created many chances in that game and normally should have won more comfortably, but then we conceded a 92nd minute goal.
Against Morocco, we played very well against one of the best teams in the world. It’s a shame that on a few actions we would have liked VAR to intervene. But that’s football. We drew, but we could have won.
Against Comoros, there was some fatigue and nervousness. The team felt tired and we didn’t play our best match. Then, in the Round of 16 against Tunisia, despite a red card after 26 minutes, we played very well and deserved to qualify for the quarter-finals.
It’s true that officially we haven’t won a match yet, but against Zambia and Morocco we could have won. The most important thing is that today we are in the quarter-finals alongside all the biggest teams on the continent. We can only be proud of ourselves.
Facing Senegal next, what do you see as the key factors in this quarter-final?
Senegal is one of the biggest teams on the continent. They have been at the highest level for years and are very stable, with great individual quality and strong team cohesion. In 2025, they have only lost once, against Brazil. They beat England and drew with Ireland, very good results for an African team.
They are the favorites and we are the outsiders, and we accept that. But we have already shown against Morocco and Tunisia that we are not afraid. We also have good players. Our only undoing is not scoring as many goals as we would like, but we are very disciplined when we don’t have the ball. Our plan is ready for Senegal. We have a lot of respect for them and we will do everything possible to stay in this competition until the end.
The notion out there is that your team struggles to score. Is it possible to go all the way in this manner?
In the games we have played, we have created many chances but failed to score. Of course, it’s more enjoyable when you win 1–0, 2–0 or 3–0, but the most important thing is that we are still here with the seven biggest African nations. I even want to say: I don’t care if we don’t win in open play. I want to qualify at every stage of the tournament.
I would not mind even a bit to draw all matches and win on penalties until lifting the trophy. In football, you can play very well and still lose 3–2. I prefer to qualify. That’s it. We are in tournament mode.
When you look at Senegal, what attributes do you think you should be keen on about them?
They are a team with very good players who have been playing at a very high level for the past 10 years and have a lot of experience. The structure and organization of the Senegalese Football Federation is exceptional and serve as an example for many African countries. Their individual quality is also outstanding, but I trust my team and we are focused on our own strengths. After that, we’ll see if it’s enough or not.
You are in the quarter-finals now, but what would be a successful AFCON for you?
Before the AFCON, we spoke about reaching the semi-finals, and that remains our objective. As a coach and as a player, you always want to win a title. We know it’s not easy. Even reaching an AFCON quarter-final is not simple. In the last five editions, Mali reached the quarter-finals in 2023. Today, we are back in the quarter-finals, which is not bad. But we want more.
I have experience with The Gambia in Cameroon, where we lost very close to the semi-finals — that hurt. This time, we will do everything to reach the last four. Friday’s match is our final. We will do everything to qualify. Our slogan with the players is: “our dream, our history, and our moment.” This is our moment. There will not be another opportunity.
Our dream of becoming champions, our history that we are writing together, and our moment — this AFCON here. We will give everything for that. Hopefully, after Friday’s match, we will stay in Morocco because we love playing this AFCON here and we want to reach the semi-finals.
