The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has declared the Morocco national football team champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations after ruling that the Senegal national football team forfeited the tournament’s final.
The decision was announced on Tuesday, March 17, 2026, after CAF’s appeal board reviewed a protest submitted by the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.
The Moroccan football authority challenged an earlier disciplinary ruling linked to the final match. After examining the case, the appeal board concluded that Senegal had violated competition regulations governing the tournament.
CAF confirmed the outcome in an official statement, saying: “the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match… with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF).”
With the forfeiture ruling, the final result has been officially recorded as a 3–0 victory for Morocco, effectively handing the North African team the continental title.
The appeal board also reviewed additional disciplinary issues connected to the match. Among them were sanctions related to Moroccan player Ismaël Saibari and incidents that reportedly took place during the game.
Despite addressing those matters, CAF maintained the central ruling that Senegal forfeited the match, which ultimately decided the tournament winner.
The decision brings a dramatic end to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament, one of Africa’s biggest football competitions featuring national teams from across the continent.
More details about the ruling and the disciplinary actions surrounding the match are expected to be released by CAF.