The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final, held in Morocco, has become one of the most controversial episodes in African football history. What began as a dramatic on-field victory for Senegal has now been completely overturned nearly two months later by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), which stripped Senegal of the title and declared Morocco the champions.
The TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 culminated in the final match on January 18, 2026, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. Senegal defeated the host nation, Morocco, 1-0 after extra time, claiming what appeared to be their third AFCON title.
The game descended into chaos in the dying minutes of regulation time. A controversial late penalty was awarded to Morocco following a VAR review. Moroccan star Brahim Díaz missed the spot-kick, but the decision triggered intense protests from the Senegalese side.
Senegal’s players and staff temporarily walked off the pitch in protest, refusing to continue for approximately 14-15 minutes. The match was delayed significantly before Senegal eventually returned, held firm through the remainder, and secured the win in extra time. The scenes were widely described as “shameful,” “Hitchcockian,” and a potential threat to the sport’s integrity, with clashes involving players and officials, and even leading to crowd disturbances afterward.
In late January 2026, CAF’s Disciplinary Board imposed sanctions on both federations:
- Heavy fines totaling over $1 million across both teams.
- Multiple match bans for players and officials from both sides (including a five-match ban and $100,000 fine for Senegal’s coach, Pape Thiaw).
- Investigations into incidents from earlier knockout rounds.
Morocco’s initial protest, arguing for a forfeit win under Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations (which cover match abandonment or refusal to play), was rejected at that stage. Senegal kept the title, though the atmosphere remained toxic. Morocco’s football federation (FRMF) quickly announced it would appeal the ruling, vowing to pursue further legal avenues.
On March 17, 2026, the CAF Appeal Board delivered a bombshell decision. In an official statement, CAF declared:
“In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match… with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).”
This ruling overturned the original on-field result and previous disciplinary outcome. Morocco was retroactively awarded a 3-0 victory by forfeit, crowning them AFCON 2025 champions, their first continental title since 1976.
The decision followed Morocco’s successful appeal, where CAF’s appeals committee reviewed fresh arguments and set aside the earlier Disciplinary Board findings.