Morocco have been declared the winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football (Caf) overturned the result of the final following Senegal’s controversial walk-off.
Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 in the final on 18 January in a match which was overshadowed when the Senegalese players refused to play after the hosts were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the match goalless.
Following a delay of around 17 minutes, the players did eventually return and Brahim Diaz’s penalty was saved before Senegal’s Pape Gueye scored an extra-time winner.
However, that result has now been overturned after a decision by an appeal board at African football’s governing body.
A statement from Caf said that Senegal are “declared to have forfeited the final match” with the “result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour” of Morocco.
The Senegalese Football Federation said it would appeal Caf’s decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, calling it “unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable”.
The decision follows an appeal by Moroccan FA (FRMF) which Caf said is “declared admissible in form” and was upheld.
Caf added that “through the conduct of its team” Senegal infringed on Article 82 of regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations and as a result Article 84 became applicable.
Article 82 states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authorisation, it will be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition.
Article 84 complements this provision, stating that any team that violates Articles 82 will be permanently eliminated and will lose the match 3-0.
A statement from FRMF said that their decision to appeal the final result was “never intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams” but was a request for the “application of the competition’s regulations”.
“The federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions,” the FRMF statement added.
“It also wishes to commend all the nations that took part in this edition of the Afcon, which has been a major moment for African football.”
Earlier, a video was posted on the X account of the Senegal men’s national team, external of their players celebrating on a bus parade with the Afcon trophy and an ‘OK’ emoji.
Maher Mezahi, a North African football journalist, told BBC Radio 5 Live that the decision to overturn the result will not change the emotional impact of what unfolded on the pitch for those who witnessed it.
“We cannot erase the final 16 minutes of that match and what we saw,” he said.
“We cannot erase the feelings of seeing Senegal lift the trophy and the players going home with the medal and them having a parade.”