The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations winner remains a subject of dispute, despite the final being played 10 months ago. Senegal initially defeated host nation Morocco 1-0 to claim the title, but the result was later overturned following Morocco’s protest over Senegal’s conduct during the final.
The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final has become one of the most controversial in the tournament’s history, with the championship still being contested. Although Senegal won on the pitch, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) later declared Morocco the winner after ruling that Senegal had breached competition regulations when its players walked off the pitch in protest against the officiating.
Senegal’s walk-off protest followed two controversial decisions: the disallowing of Ismaila Sarr’s goal and a penalty awarded to Morocco after a VAR review. Coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave the pitch, but captain Sadio Mane persuaded them to return after about 17 minutes. Morocco missed the penalty, and Senegal went on to win 1-0 after extra time through Pape Gueye.
After the final, Morocco protested against Senegal’s decision to walk off the pitch, arguing that it violated Articles 82 and 84 of CAF’s AFCON regulations. The rules state that a team that abandons a match without permission can be eliminated from the competition and awarded a 3-0 defeat.
However, CAF’s Disciplinary Board initially rejected Morocco’s protest on January 28, 2026. The decision was later overturned by CAF’s Appeal Board on March 17, 2026, which ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final and awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory.
Senegal disagreed with CAF’s Appeal Board ruling and took the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). On October 19, 2026, the court announced that its final ruling was expected by the end of November 2026.
Since the inception of the AFCON tournament, there has been another recorded incident in which a team walked off the pitch during a match and CAF awarded victory to its opponent. The closest example was the 1978 AFCON third-place play-off between Nigeria and Tunisia. Tunisia walked off in protest after Nigeria scored, with the match abandoned at 1-1. CAF subsequently awarded Nigeria a 2-0 victory.
The 1978 tournament was the 11th edition of the AFCON and was hosted and won by Ghana. The Black Stars defeated Uganda 2-0 in the final to claim their third continental title.
