Morocco national football team have been officially declared winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after the Confederation of African Football overturned their final defeat to Senegal national football team following a controversial walk-off during the match.
Senegal had initially secured a 1-0 victory in the final played on January 18, with Pape Gueye scoring the decisive goal in extra time after Brahim DÃaz saw his stoppage-time penalty saved.
The match was marred by controversy when Senegalese players temporarily refused to continue play after Morocco were awarded a late penalty while the score was still goalless. The protest led to a delay of approximately 17 minutes before the game resumed.
Following an appeal by the Moroccan Football Federation, CAF ruled that Senegal had violated tournament regulations. In an official statement, the governing body declared that Senegal forfeited the match due to their conduct, with the result recorded as a 3-0 victory in favour of Morocco.
CAF cited Article 82 of the competition rules, which states that any team refusing to play or leaving the field without the referee’s permission is deemed to have lost the match. Article 84 further enforces that such a violation results in a 3-0 loss and elimination from the competition.
The decision marks a dramatic reversal of the tournament outcome and hands Morocco the continental title under exceptional circumstances, bringing a controversial end to one of the most disputed finals in Africa Cup of Nations history.
