Morocco have been officially declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) following a dramatic decision by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to overturn the initial result of the final, which had favoured Senegal.
In a statement released by CAF, Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the match, with the result awarded as a 3-0 victory to Morocco.
The final, played on January18, 2026, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, had originally ended in a 1-0 win for Senegal after extra time. However, the match was marred by controversy in its closing stages.
With the score level in the dying minutes of regulation time, Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty. In protest, Senegalese players reportedly refused to continue play, causing a delay of approximately 17 minutes. The match eventually resumed, with Brahim Díaz seeing his penalty saved before Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal in extra time.
CAF stated that Senegal’s actions breached Article 82 of the AFCON regulations, which governs team conduct during matches. Under this rule, any team that refuses to continue play or leaves the field without the referee’s approval is deemed to have forfeited the match.
The governing body further cited Article 84, which mandates a 3-0 loss and elimination from the competition for teams found guilty of such violations.
Reacting to the decision, the Senegalese Football Federation condemned the ruling, describing it as “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable,” and announced plans to challenge the verdict at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
The ruling marks one of the most controversial conclusions to an AFCON tournament in recent history, with significant implications for both teams and African football at large.
