BREAKING: Morocco declared AFCON 2025 champions after Confederation of African Football overturns final result
CAF awards Morocco a 3–0 victory over Senegal following Appeal Board ruling on controversial final
In a dramatic and highly controversial development, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially overturned the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final, awarding Morocco a 3–0 victory over Senegal.
The decision follows an investigation by CAF’s Appeal Board into events that unfolded during the final on January 18, 2025. During the match, Senegal’s players walked off the pitch for approximately 15–17 minutes in protest of a VAR-awarded penalty to Morocco in stoppage time. The Appeal Board found that Senegal violated Articles 82 and 84 of the tournament regulations—leaving the field without authorization, which constitutes a forfeiture.
“The Appeal Board has decided to declare the match forfeited by the Senegal Football Federation with a score of 3-0 in favour of the Morocco Football Federation.”
— CAF Appeal Board Official Statement
The ruling overturns an earlier decision by CAF’s Disciplinary Committee, which had imposed fines exceeding $1 million on both federations but allowed the original 1–0 result to stand. The Moroccan Football Federation successfully appealed that decision, leading to the result being overturned.
CAF confirmed on March 17, 2026, that the match has been awarded to Morocco, effectively crowning the North African side as champions of the continent. The ruling ends a period of uncertainty surrounding what had already been described as one of the most chaotic finals in AFCON history.
“This is a sad day for African football. We are considering all our options, including an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
— Senegal Football Federation Statement
While the governing body has finalized the result, further disciplinary measures against Senegal could still be announced in the coming days as CAF continues its review of the incident. The decision is expected to spark widespread debate across the African football community.
