Senegal Stripped of AFCON 2025 Title as Morocco Crowned via “Walk-Off” Ruling

In a stunning reversal that has sent shockwaves across the continent, the Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF) has officially stripped Senegal of their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title. The decision, handed down by the CAF Appeal Board on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, overturns Senegal’s 1-0 extra-time victory on the pitch and awards a 3-0 forfeit win to the host nation, Morocco.

The drama of the 2025 AFCON final in Rabat has officially moved from the grass to the courtroom. Two months after the Lions of Teranga celebrated what they thought was their second continental crown, CAF has ruled that the team technically forfeited the match. The ruling centers on a chaotic period during the final minutes of normal time when Senegal’s head coach, Pape Thiaw, ordered his players to leave the pitch in protest of a controversial VAR-awarded penalty for Morocco.

While the Senegalese players eventually returned to the pitch—where goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved the subsequent “Panenka” attempt by Brahim Diaz—the damage was already done. The CAF Appeal Board invoked Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations, which state that any team refusing to play or leaving the ground without the referee’s permission is considered to have lost by a 3-0 margin. Despite Senegal going on to win the game 1-0 in extra time via a Pape Gueye goal, CAF ruled that the initial 15-to-20-minute walk-off constituted a formal forfeiture.

For the Atlas Lions, this boardroom victory marks their first AFCON title since 1976. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) stated that their appeal was not a challenge to Senegal’s “sporting performance,” but rather a necessary step to ensure the competition’s regulations are strictly followed. The ruling also adjusted several individual sanctions; Moroccan star Ismaël Saibari saw his $100,000 fine set aside, though he remains with a partial match suspension for separate incidents during the chaotic final.

The reaction from Dakar has been one of pure outrage. The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has condemned the ruling as “unacceptable” and “bringing African football into disrepute.” Star defender Moussa Niakhaté took to social media to vent his frustration, while the federation confirmed it will immediately escalate the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland. As it stands, Morocco is the official champion of Africa, but the legal battle for the 2025 trophy is far from over.