Morocco AFCON 2025 champions after major CAF appeal ruling
Morocco are now the official AFCON 2025 champions after CAF overturned Senegal’s victory in the final and awarded the title to the hosts.
In a dramatic ruling announced on Tuesday, 17 March 2026, the CAF Appeal Board declared that Senegal had forfeited the final. As a result, the match has now been officially recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
That decision completely changes the story of the tournament. For weeks, Senegal had been recognised as champions after their 1-0 extra-time win on the pitch. Now, however, Morocco have been confirmed as the official winners.
Morocco AFCON 2025 champions after Senegal’s final result is reversed
The final originally ended in heartbreak for Morocco. The hosts lost 1-0 after extra time in a chaotic match that quickly became one of the most controversial AFCON finals in recent memory.
Late in normal time, Morocco were awarded a penalty after a VAR review. That decision triggered angry scenes from the Senegal camp. Senegal’s players then walked off the field in protest, causing a lengthy delay before they eventually returned.
Morocco went on to miss the penalty, and Senegal later scored the winning goal in extra time. At the time, that result handed Senegal the trophy. However, the controversy did not end there.
Morocco AFCON 2025 champions after Senegal found to have forfeited
Morocco’s football federation challenged what happened in the final and pushed for action from CAF. Now that the legal battle has changed the outcome of the tournament.
CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal’s conduct fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations. The board upheld Morocco’s appeal, set aside the earlier disciplinary decision and declared that Senegal had forfeited the match.
Because of that, the result has now been changed from a 1-0 Senegal win to a 3-0 administrative victory for Morocco.
That is the key reason the winners were overturned. The title changed hands because CAF ruled that Senegal’s conduct during the final breached the competition regulations.
Morocco AFCON 2025 champions in one of football’s biggest reversals
This is now one of the biggest reversals seen in African football. Senegal celebrated the title after the final in Rabat. Now, months later, that triumph has been wiped from the official record.
For Morocco, the ruling turns heartbreak into history. What looked like a painful defeat on home soil has now become a title-winning campaign.
That reversal gives the hosts a major boost, especially after the disappointment of losing the final in front of their own supporters. It also ensures that AFCON 2025 will now be remembered as one of the most controversial tournaments in recent memory.
Morocco AFCON 2025 champions as Senegal lose title after walk-off drama
The biggest issue in the final was not simply the penalty decision itself. Instead, it was Senegal’s response to it.
CAF’s latest ruling makes it clear that the walk-off protest carried serious consequences. Even though the match continued and Senegal eventually won on the field, the Appeal Board found that the conduct was enough to trigger a forfeit.
That means the extra-time winning goal no longer decides the official outcome. Instead, the final result now stands as a 3-0 win for Morocco.
Morocco AFCON 2025 champions as final legacy changes completely
The legacy of the AFCON 2025 final has now changed forever. What was first remembered as Senegal’s dramatic win is now officially a Morocco title success after appeal.
For Senegal, this is a crushing reversal. For Morocco, it is a dramatic redemption story. And for African football, it is a reminder that what happens after the whistle can still decide the biggest prizes.
In the end, Morocco are the official AFCON 2025 champions because CAF ruled that Senegal forfeited the final through the conduct of their team during the chaotic closing stages of the match.
Source: CAF Appeal Board media statement, Reuters (cafonline.com)
