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Morocco have been declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football overturned Senegal’s victory in the final. CAF’s appeal board ruled that Senegal forfeited the match, with the result now recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
Senegal had originally beaten Morocco 1-0 after extra time in the final on 18 January. The match had remained goalless when the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty, triggering the incident that later became central to the appeal.
CAF said the Moroccan Football Federation’s appeal was admissible and upheld. African football’s governing body added that Senegal, through the conduct of its team, infringed Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, which addresses a team refusing to play or leaving the field before full time without the referee’s authorisation.
Under Article 82, a team that leaves the ground without permission is considered the loser and eliminated from the competition. CAF said Article 84 then applied, meaning the offending team is permanently eliminated and loses the match 3-0.
The decisive moment in the final came in the eighth minute of added time when referee Jean Jacques Ndala awarded Morocco a penalty at 0-0. Ndala had been advised by VAR to review El Hadji Malick Diouf’s challenge on Brahim Diaz, and Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw then led his players off the pitch.
After a delay of about 17 minutes, Senegal returned to continue the match. Diaz saw his penalty saved by Edouard Mendy, and Pape Gueye later scored in extra time to give Senegal what had appeared to be the winning goal and a second Afcon title in five years.
The FRMF said its appeal was never intended to challenge the sporting performance of either team, but rather to secure the application of the competition’s regulations. The federation added that it remained committed to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework and maintaining stability in African competitions.
Senegal’s federation had not commented at the time of publication, though a video posted on the men’s national team X account showed players celebrating on a bus parade with the trophy.
The ruling ends the matter within CAF, though BBC World Service journalist John Bennett said Senegal could now take the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.