Morocco Declared AFCON 2025 Champions

Morocco has officially been crowned champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned the original result of the final following a controversial walk-off by Senegal.

Senegal had initially won the final 1-0 on January 18, with Pape Gueye scoring the decisive goal in extra time after a dramatic match.

The game was overshadowed by a tense incident during stoppage time when Senegal’s players briefly refused to continue after Morocco were awarded a late penalty while the score was still goalless.

Play eventually resumed after a 17-minute delay, and Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, which was saved. However, the incident led to further review after the match.

In an official statement, CAF confirmed that Senegal had forfeited the match due to a breach of competition regulations.

After reviewing Morocco’s appeal, CAF ruled that “the Senegal national team is declared to have forfeited the match,” and the result has been officially recorded as a 3-0 victory in favor of Morocco.

CAF stated that Senegal’s actions violated Article 82, which says any team that refuses to play or leaves the field without authorization is considered to have lost. Article 84 enforces a 3-0 defeat in such cases.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said its appeal “was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations.”

The federation added that it remains committed to respecting the rules, maintaining clarity in the competitive framework, and ensuring the stability of African competitions.