African football champions stripped of continental title

The Confederation of African Football rules Senegal’s win invalid after a disciplinary review and beaten opponent Morocco’s appeal

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has revoked Senegal’s victory in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and officially awarded the title to host nation Morocco, the organization announced in a statement on Tuesday.

This followed an appeal by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) and a review of the contentious final held on January 18, 2026, in Rabat, Morocco.

“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 favor of the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF),” the CAF statement said.

In a chaotic match, the referee controversially disallowed a Senegalese goal late in the game, before awarding Morocco a penalty shortly afterwards. In protest, Senegal’s coach Pape Bouna Thiaw and his players left the field for 15 minutes. Upon return, Morocco missed the penalty and Senegal went on to win 1-0 in extra-time.

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CAF handed sanctions to both sides for their behaviour. Pape Bouna Thiaw was suspended for five matches and fined, and about $615,000 levied against the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) for misconduct. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi received a two-match suspension and the FRMF was fined roughly $315,000 for security breaches, ball boy misconduct, and interference with officials.

Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari’s original suspension, for stealing the Senegal goalkeeper’s towel, was cut from three to two matches and his $100,000 fine lifted. All other appeals from the two nations were dismissed.

On Wednesday, the FSF condemned the ruling, calling it “unfair, unprecedented, and unacceptable” and saying it “discredits African football.” They will appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

READ MORE: Morocco make history with first U‑20 World Cup title (VIDEO, PHOTO)

Match results for technical or disciplinary breaches have been changed before by CAF. In October 2024, it awarded Nigeria a win over Libya in a 2025 AFCON qualifier after an investigation found that the Nigerian team was mistreated, including being held in a Libyan airport for 16 hours without food. Libya was fined $50,000, and Nigeria received three points in the qualification standings.