The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has overturned Senegal’s 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final victory, instead awarding the title to Morocco.
In the Tuesday, 17 March 2026 ruling delivered by the CAF Appeal Board, Senegal were found to have forfeited the final, with the result officially recorded as a 3–0 win for Morocco.
This came after an appeal by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF), which argued that Senegal’s conduct violated competition rules.
The decision wipes out what had initially been celebrated as a historic on-pitch triumph for Senegal, who had beaten Morocco 1–0 after extra time in Rabat.
“The Confédération Africaine de Football (“CAF”) Appeal Board decided today that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the TotalEnergies CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2025 (“the Match”), with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF),” the ruling reads.
Protest by Morocco upheld
The final, played at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium on January 18, had already been one of the most chaotic in AFCON history.
Late drama spiralled into controversy when a penalty was awarded to Morocco deep into stoppage time following a VAR review. Furious with the decision, Senegal’s bench reacted by ordering players off the pitch in protest—triggering a lengthy suspension.
Although the team later returned and the match resumed, the incident proved decisive in the legal battle that followed.
CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal’s actions fell under Articles 82 and 84 of tournament regulations—provisions that cover misconduct and forfeiture.
“The CAF Appeal Board further finds that the conduct of the Senegal team falls within the scope of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations.”
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The Appeal Board ruling by CAF has also revealed that Morocco’s Ismaël Saibari was found guilty of misconduct.
His punishment was reduced to a two-match suspension, with one game suspended. A hefty $100,000 fine initially imposed on him was scrapped.
CAF also held Morocco partly responsible for incidents involving ball boys and laser interference during the match, reducing some fines but maintaining others.
The fine imposed on FRMF in respect of the ball boys incident was reduced to $50,000, while the fine imposed in respect of the laser incident was reduced to $10,000.
“It is declared that the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football (FSF), through the conduct of its team, infringed Article 82 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations. In application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal team is declared to have forfeited the match, with the result recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF),” the ruling adds.
AFCON 2025 chaos
In the 2025 AFCON final, Senegal’s Ismaïla Sarr appeared to score from an Abdoulaye Seck assist, but the goal was controversially ruled out for a foul before VAR could review it.
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Moroccan attacker Brahim Díaz was fouled in the box by El Hadji Malick Diouf, leading to a Moroccan penalty after a VAR review.
Furious with the decision, Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, ordered his players to leave the pitch, causing a 14-minute suspension of the match.
After being convinced by captain Sadio Mané to return, the game resumed with Brahim Díaz’s “Panenka-style” penalty saved by Édouard Mendy.
This was before Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time, after which medals were handed out, and Senegal were crowned champions.
