Africa Cup of Nations: Senegal stripped of title, Morocco crowned champions

AFP

17 Mar, 2026 10:53 PM2 mins to read

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Senegal’s forward Sadio Mane and team members celebrate their victory at the end of the Africa Cup of Nations. Photo / AFP

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The Confederation of African Football today stripped Senegal of the Africa Cup of Nations title they won in January and declared Morocco champions.

Several Senegalese players had temporarily left the pitch late in the match in protest at a refereeing decision.

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) said “the Senegal
national team is declared to have forfeited the match”, a 1-0 victory in the final, “with the result being officially recorded as 3-0” in favour of Morocco.

The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) said in a statement “its action was never intended to contest the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition regulations”.

Minutes before the end of the match, some Senegalese supporters attempted a pitch invasion, while Senegal’s players halted the game for nearly 20 minutes to protest a late penalty awarded to Morocco.