Result overturned: Morocco now declared 2025 Afcon winners, Senegal stripped of title

Result overturned: Morocco now declared 2025 Afcon winners, Senegal stripped of title
Morocco's players pose for a team group photo before the match between Senegal and Morocco on 18 January, 2026.
Reuters

Morocco has been declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and Senegal stripped of their title by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

In a statement on Tuesday (17 March), CAF said the Senegalese side had “forfeited” the final match in January by refusing to play after the Moroccan team was awarded a stoppage-time penalty.

Senegal’s players eventually returned after a 17 minute delay and went on to beat Morocco 1-0, after Pape Gueye scored in extra time. CAF said that result had now been overturned following an appeal by the Moroccan Football Association (FRMF), with the result of the match in Rabat now being recorded as 3-0 in favour of Morocco.

The CAF said that by walking off, the Senegalese side had infringed Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. The article states that if a team refuses to play before the end of a match without the referee’s permission, it will be considered the loser and excluded from the competition.

As a result, Article 84 of the tournament’s regulations was activated which states that any team that violates Article 82 will lose the match 3-0, the CAF added. 

The Senegalese Football Federation said on Wednesday (18 March) that it would appeal the CAF’s decision, branding the ruling “unfair” and “unacceptable.”

“In order to defend the rights and interests of Senegalese football, the Federation will initiate an appeal as soon as possible before the Court of Arbitration for Sports in Lausanne,” the Federation said in a post on X. 

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