Morocco Unveils 2025 AFCON Logo Featuring Traditional Mosaic Art

A few hours before the draw for the final phase of the Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Monday, January 27 in Rabat, Morocco has unveiled the logo of the competition. It evokes the trophy and the zellige, a Moroccan mosaic. "It celebrates the heritage and unity of the African continent," explains the AFCON on its official website. This logo symbolizes pride, resilience and hope, connecting sport and art. Inspired by the Moroccan "zellij", a timeless mosaic art form, the tournament’s logo redefines football as a canvas where creativity, precision and passion meet."

This logo fuses "the geometry of football with the intricate craftsmanship of the zellij, captures the precision and movement of the game while honoring Africa’s cultural heritage. It is a celebration of African craftsmanship and the beauty of football’s dynamism," say the competition’s leaders. But the choice of the zellige can be seen by Algeria as a provocation. Algiers has repeatedly tried to reclaim this Moroccan art.

Algeria had tried to dribble past Morocco and Tunisia by filing on April 18 a file entitled "Art of architectural ornamentation in zellige: knowledge and skills" for its inscription on the representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity of UNESCO.

This initiative had provoked strong reactions in the two countries that also claim the art of the zellige.

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