Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially stripped Senegal of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarded the trophy to Morocco.
The decision follows a dramatic appeal lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) after a chaotic final played on January 18, 2026, in Rabat.
The match had initially ended with Senegal securing a 1-0 victory after extra time.
However, tensions flared late in normal time when Morocco were awarded a penalty.
Senegal players, backed by their head coach, briefly walked off the pitch in protest before eventually returning. The penalty was missed, and the game proceeded into extra time, where Senegal found the decisive goal.
Despite the result on the pitch, Morocco challenged the outcome, triggering a review process by CAF.
Two months later, CAF’s Appeal Board has ruled in favour of Morocco, declaring that Senegal forfeited the final.
The match will now be officially recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
In its statement, CAF confirmed: “The Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match… with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.”
The ruling found that Senegal’s conduct during the match breached Articles 82 and 84 of AFCON regulations, leading to the forfeiture decision.
As a result, Morocco have now been officially crowned African champions, marking their first AFCON title since 1976.
The Appeal Board also addressed several disciplinary matters arising from the match.
Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari was found guilty of misconduct, with his punishment reduced to a two-match suspension, one of which is suspended, while an earlier fine of $100,000 was overturned.
CAF further ruled on incidents involving ball boys, VAR interference, and the use of lasers during the match.
The Moroccan federation was fined $50,000 over the ball boys’ conduct, while a $100,000 fine related to interference around the VAR review area was upheld.
A separate fine linked to laser use was reduced to $10,000.
All other appeals and requests were dismissed.
The ruling brings an extraordinary conclusion to one of the most controversial finals in AFCON history, with the official records now recognizing Morocco as the 2025 champions.