The players of the Senegalese football team, crowned African champions on Sunday in Morocco, began their grand popular parade to celebrate their triumph through the capital Dakar, where tens of thousands of overjoyed supporters celebrated them along their route.

The Lions of Teranga continued their slow afternoon bus parade through popular neighborhoods of the capital, in a deafening cacophony of vuvuzelas, horns and festive songs sung by tens of thousands of people, many of whom wore Senegal jerseys.

The victory of the Lions of Teranga (1-0 in extra time) on Sunday in Rabat against Morocco, the second in the country's history in the Africa Cup of Nations, sparks immense joy and pride throughout the country.

Perched on an open-top bus, the heroes of Rabat took turns brandishing the cup, a flag in the colours of Senegal, and some of them clapped their hands.

For their fans, any means were good to hope to see the Lions, even if it meant perching on top of an advertising billboard or on the roof of cars.

"The Lions have made an entire people proud," reacted Hortense Kenny, aged around thirty, accompanied by her five-year-old child and stationed on the route of the procession in the Patte d'Oie district.

"What remains now is to win the World Cup. With Sadio Mané, anything is possible!", she declared, referring to the Lions' superstar and the next major event, the 2026 World Cup next summer in North America - where Senegal will notably face France.

The grand parade and this popular, feverish and sometimes boisterous communion must cross several neighborhoods, both working-class and upscale, and pass through the emblematic corniche of Dakar.

Waving Senegalese flags high and shouting their joy, thousands of supporters and young people also gathered in the city center, near the presidential palace where the Lions will be officially received by the head of state, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in the late afternoon or evening.

This moment of immense joy is one of the few that Senegal has experienced in recent years, a country that endured serious political unrest between 2021 and 2024, resulting in dozens of deaths. The country is also facing a delicate economic and social situation.

The heroes arrived overnight from Monday to Tuesday from Morocco on a private flight.

Tens of thousands of people were expected to accompany the procession, while President Faye described the players as "patriots" and this victory as "a victory for all the people".

In Patte d'Oie, supporters perched on buildings and a nearby bridge to watch the spectacle, amidst a deafening roar. A large number of security forces were also present.