In a shocking turn of events, Morocco have been declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned the final result.
Senegal, who were originally crowned champions on January 18 after a tense and controversial final, have now been ruled to have forfeited the match, giving Morocco a 3-0 victory.
In its official ruling, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) stated that Senegal forfeited the final match, leading to the overturning of the result.
“The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84, 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 (FRMF),” CAF said.
The January 18, AFCON2025 final was filled with drama. Chaos erupted when Morocco were awarded a penalty, prompting Senegal’s coach Pape Thew to order players off the pitch in protest.
Some had already started heading to the tunnel before captain Sadio Mané stepped in and convinced them to return.
When play resumed, Morocco’s Brahim Díaz saw his penalty saved by Édouard Mendy, keeping the game level.
Senegal later broke the deadlock in extra time through Pape Gueye and went on to celebrate what seemed like a famous victory.
However, the earlier walk-off drew heavy criticism from football legends, who said it set a bad example for the sport.
Weeks later, CAF hit Senegal, its players, coach and funs with heavy fines and has now taken the extraordinary step of overturning the result entirely.
Morocco are officially champions, while Senegal lose the title in one of the most dramatic reversals in AFCON history.
The twist has sparked widespread debate among fans and football enthusiasts, with many questioning whether the awards given to players should be revoked.
Others have criticized the decision, calling CAF’s ruling a shame for African football.
