Morocco was awarded the African Cup of Nations 2026 title on Tuesday, March 17, after an appeal over the result of the final was upheld by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), who overturned Senegal’s victory in a chaotic and controversial final in January this year. Senegal were ruled to have forfeited the final in Rabat on January 18 as they stormed off the field in protest during the game after a potentially decisive penalty was awarded to Morocco in the final few minutes of stoppage time.
Senegal returned to the field after 14 minutes to win the game 1-0 in extra-time, thanks to a goal from Papa Gueye after Brahim Diaz missed the penalty after the restart of the match. However, now the result has been turned into a 3-0 victory for Morocco.
The decision adds another layer of controversy, where the walk-off and the fight between fans and spectators had the CAF saying that the image of African football was tarnished. The Senegalese Football Federation (SFF) said that they will take the matter to Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), in a bid to overturn the decision made on Tuesday.
“This is a travesty; this decision is based on absolutely nothing. It has no legal foundation,” Abdoulaye Seydou Sow, the Secretary General of SFF, told state broadcaster RTS1.
“And from what we saw this morning when the hearing began, we already had serious doubts — clearly, the judge did not come to rule on the case, he came to carry out orders.
“The president of the federation will get in touch with the lawyers; we will engage with the appropriate authorities, and then we will go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which will issue the final decision.
“We will not back down. Senegalese people should have no doubt. The truth is on Senegal’s side, the law is on Senegal’s side.”
The decision now means that Morocco have become AFCON champions for the second time in their history, 50 years after their first title win. The Royal Moroccan Football Federation appreciated the decision and said they were made the appeal to have the rules of the competition properly applied.
“The Federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, the clarity of the competitive framework, and the stability of African competitions,” it said in a statement.
HOW DID AFCON 2026 FINAL DRAMA UNFOLD?
Chaos unfolded deep into stoppage time when Senegal believed they had taken the lead, only for the referee to rule out the goal for a foul in Morocco’s box.
Moments later, the drama intensified as Brahim Diaz was judged to have been brought down by El Hadji Malick Diouf, earning Morocco a penalty. Tempers flared, with players and officials clashing while referee Jean-Jacques Ndala reviewed the incident on VAR before confirming the decision. Furious, Senegal coach Pape Bouna Thiaw instructed his players to walk off.
After nearly 20 minutes, captain Sadio Mane persuaded the team to return, but the tension lingered. Diaz then attempted a cheeky Panenka from the spot, only for Edouard Mendy to make a comfortable save.
Just when penalties seemed inevitable, Pape Gueye produced a moment of magic, surging forward and unleashing a powerful strike in the 94th minute to spark wild celebrations.
The Appeal Board ruled that Senegal’s actions fell under Articles 82 and 84 of the Africa Cup of Nations regulations.
These rules state that any team refusing to continue play or leaving the pitch before full-time without the referee’s permission will be deemed to have forfeited the match. CAF also confirmed that the 100,000 dollar fine imposed on Morocco’s Ismael Saibari has been scrapped, with his suspension reduced from three matches to one for his involvement in the incident.
However, the 100,000 dollar fine on Morocco for their players and officials attempting to interfere with the VAR process will remain in place.
