Senegalese Star Sadio Mane.Photo by Getty Images.
Senegal have been stripped of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and the trophy has been awarded to Morocco, it has been announced by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
A quite remarkable ruling has handed Morocco the title after the final on January 18, 2026 turned into chaos in Rabat, Morocco.
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Two months on from that unbelievable final, Morocco are officially champions of Africa.
After hosts Morocco were awarded a penalty kick late in normal time in the final, the players of Senegal walked off the pitch in protest with the support of their head coach. Senegal’s players eventually went back onto the pitch and Brahim Diaz missed the penalty kick, as the game went to extra time.
Senegal would go on to win the game 1-0 and be crowned AFCON champions, but Morocco were furious and launched an official appeal against the outcome of the game.
That appeal has been successful and CAF have ruled that Senegal was “declared to have forfeited the final” with the result now being recorded in the history books as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
That means that Morocco are now officially the African champions for the first time since 1976.
Here is the official ruling from the CAF website, and below is the statement in full.
Statement from Confederation of African Football
The CAF Appeal Board decided 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 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).
On the appeal by the FRMF regarding the application of Articles 82 and 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the CAF Appeal Board made the following rulings:
– “The appeal lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is declared admissible in form and the appeal is upheld.
– The CAF Disciplinary Board decision is set aside.
– 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.
– The protest lodged by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is upheld.
– 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).
– All other motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.”
The CAF Appeal Board also ruled that:
– “The appeal lodged in respect of Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) is partially upheld.
– The CAF Appeal Board confirms the finding that Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) committed misconduct in violation of Articles 82 and 83(1) of the CAF Disciplinary Code.
– The sanction imposed on Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) is amended to a suspension of two (2) official CAF matches, of which one (1) match is suspended.
– The fine of USD 100,000 imposed on Mr Ismaël Saibari (Player No. 11 of the Morocco National Team) is set aside.
– The appeal lodged in respect of the ball boys incident is partially upheld.
– The CAF Appeal Board confirms the finding that the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) is responsible for the conduct of the ball boys during the aforementioned match.
– The fine imposed on the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) in respect of the ball boys incident is reduced to USD 50,000.
– The appeal lodged in respect of the interference around the OFR/VAR review area is dismissed.
– The fine of USD 100,000 imposed on the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) in respect of the interference around the OFR/VAR review area is confirmed.
– The appeal lodged in respect of the laser incident is partially upheld.
– The fine imposed on the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) in respect of the laser incident is reduced to USD 10,000.
– All other motions or prayers for relief are dismissed.”
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Senegal walk-off sparks chaos in AFCON final
While most of the squad followed Thiaw to the dressing room, it was Sadio Mane who was able to beckon them back to the pitch to complete the game. Mane later explained: “When they decided to go out and not play, I stayed and asked some people, ‘What do you think about this? Is it a good idea or not?’ Then I decided to go and bring everyone back to the pitch. I think it is the best thing to do. Because this is just football, I think the referee sometimes can make mistakes. People around the world are watching. It could be a penalty or not, but that is not the most important thing. What matters is respecting the game. It is not fair to stop a match like this.”
The players later returned and Diaz missed the penalty, aiming a Panenka attempt straight at the goalkeeper. With the game tied at 0-0, the contest went into extra time where Papa Gueye broke the deadlock to seal the win for Senegal.
Fines issued for lasers and VAR interference
The ruling also addressed several incidents involving the match environment and fan behaviour. While Morocco were named winners, the FRMF did not escape financial penalties entirely. The CAF Appeal Board dismissed an appeal regarding “interference around the OFR/VAR review area,” confirming a $100,000 fine for the Moroccan federation after officials were hounded during the tense second-half review.
Other fines were slightly mitigated; the penalty for the use of lasers by the home crowd was reduced to $10,000, while the fine for a controversial incident involving ball boys was halved to $50,000. Despite these financial hits, the overriding takeaway remains the seismic shift in the tournament’s history books, with Senegal losing the title they fought so hard to win on the turf.
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