Morocco has been declared the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned the final result due to Senegal’s walk-off. In the final match on January 18, Senegal defeated Morocco 1-0, but the game was disrupted when Senegal’s players refused to continue playing after a penalty was awarded to Morocco in stoppage time.
Following a 17-minute delay, play resumed, and despite Brahim Diaz missing the penalty, Pape Gueye scored the winning goal for Senegal in extra time. CAF’s appeals board later ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, resulting in a 3-0 victory being awarded to Morocco.
The decision was based on Senegal’s breach of Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations, leading to the application of Article 84. These regulations state that a team that refuses to play or leaves the field without authorization is considered to have lost and eliminated from the competition, resulting in a 3-0 defeat and permanent elimination.
The CAF Appeal Board also addressed other issues, including a partial upheld appeal regarding a player’s misconduct and fines imposed on the Moroccan Football Federation for various incidents during the match.
