Morocco declared 2025 Africa Cup of Nations winners by CAF

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially ruled that Morocco is the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN) following incidents during the final match. This decision reverses the on-field result where Senegal had initially claimed victory.

The Moroccan Football Federation was notified through a CAF Appeals Jury ruling that Senegal would be declared forfeit for the final, with the 3-0 scoreline in favor of Morocco being officially recognized.

The CAF stated that the Appeals Jury found Senegal’s actions in the final violated competition regulations, specifically Articles 82 and 84 of the CAN statutes.

Key regulations applied

• Article 82: Mandates that any team leaving the field without referee authorization before the match concludes is deemed to have forfeited the game and is eliminated from the tournament.
• Article 84: Confirms that any breach of Articles 82 or 83 results in the team being disqualified from the competition and losing the match 3-0.

Moroccan federation responds

In an official statement, the Moroccan Football Federation emphasized their appeal was not about contesting the sporting achievements of the teams involved, but rather requesting strict application of the competition’s regulations.

The ruling has sparked widespread discussion across African football communities, with many observers noting the unprecedented nature of the decision and its implications for future continental tournaments.