Africa Cup of Nations 2025: Morocco was declared the winner after CAF overturned its final defeat to Senegal

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced that Morocco had won the 2025 African Cup of Nations title after it canceled the result of the final match following Senegal’s controversial exit.

Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match that was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the home team was awarded a penalty kick in stoppage time and the match was scoreless.

After a delay of about 17 minutes, the players eventually returned and Brahim Diaz’s penalty kick was saved before Senegalese Pape Gueye scored the winning goal in extra time.

However, this result has now been overturned by African football’s governing body.

A statement issued by CAF said that Senegal “announced its loss of the final match,” as “the match score was 3-0 in favor of Morocco.”

The decision comes after an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation, which CAF said was “acceptable in form” and was upheld.

CAF added that Senegal “through the conduct of its team” had violated Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations and as a result Article 84 became applicable.

Article 82 stipulates that if a team refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of regulation time without the referee’s permission, it will be considered a loser and will be excluded from the competition.

Article 84 complements this provision, stating that any team violating Article 82 will be permanently disqualified and will lose the match 3-0.

A statement from the FRMF said their decision to appeal the final result was “never intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams” but was a request “to enforce the competition regulations”.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation’s statement added, “The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions.”

“It would also like to pay tribute to all the countries that participated in this edition of the Africa Cup of Nations, which was a big moment for African football.”