Morocco national football team have been officially declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football overturned the result of their final defeat to Senegal national football team following a controversial incident during the match.
Senegal had initially been crowned champions after edging Morocco 1-0 in the final played on January 18. The match, however, was overshadowed by a dramatic moment late in regulation time when Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the score still level.
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In protest, Senegalese players briefly left the pitch, halting proceedings for about 17 minutes. After intervention, they returned to continue the match. Brahim Diaz stepped up to take the penalty but saw his effort saved. The game eventually went into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored what appeared to be the winning goal for Senegal.
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Following the match, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation lodged an official protest, which CAF later confirmed was admissible and subsequently upheld after a detailed review.
In its ruling, CAF stated that Senegal, “through the conduct of its team,” breached Article 82 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations. The governing body further noted that this violation triggered the application of Article 84.
According to Article 82, any team that refuses to continue play or leaves the field before the end of regulation time without the referee’s approval is considered to have lost the match and is subject to elimination. Article 84 reinforces this by stipulating that such a team forfeits the match and it is awarded as a 3-0 victory to the opposing side.
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Based on these provisions, CAF ruled that Senegal forfeited the final, with the result officially recorded as a 3-0 win in favour of Morocco.
The decision brings a dramatic and controversial end to the tournament, with Morocco now confirmed as AFCON 2025 champions following one of the most disputed finals in recent memory.
