Why Senegal’s ‘lost’ AFCON title may not be gone for good

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 18 Mar 2026 11:28 GMT
• 5 min read

Feature

CAF have stripped Senegal of the title and handed it to Morocco – now CAS could flip the result again.

Senegal were left stunned when it emerged on Tuesday that CAF, which oversees African football, had stripped them of the 2026 AFCON title and presented it instead to Morocco. But the Lions of Teranga still have hope of being awarded the crown in a dramatic story that is becoming ever more bizarre.

Nearly two months after the final in Rabat, which was overshadowed by a long delay due to the Senegal team leaving the field in protest at the refereeing, Morocco have been proclaimed African champions by way of forfeit.

But the story is far from over…

What happened in the 2026 AFCON final?

The final itself, which took place on 18 January, finished in one of the most controversial fashions possible. This was the catalyst for the chaos that followed.

Locked at 0-0 in second-half stoppage-time, Morocco were awarded a penalty by referee Jean Jacquet Ndala after the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) advised him to look at a challenge from El Hadji Malick Diouf on Brahim Diaz.

Senegal were already furious about the official’s contentious decision to disallow a goal from Ismaila Sarr moments earlier. Furthermore, the Moroccan ballboys were trying to steal the towel of Senegal keeper Edouard Mendy, with reserve goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf sent out to protect it in a bizarre incident.

It was against this charged backdrop that head coach Pape Thiaw ushered his team off the field.

Sadio Mane, however, remained on the pitch and implored his colleagues to restart play.

After a 17-minute stoppage, Senegal returned to face the penalty, which Diaz chipped tamely into the arms of Edouard Mendy. It was the final action of normal time.

Senegal snatched victory in extra-time thanks to a goal from Pape Gueye, but the victory was overshadowed by the team’s actions.

FIFA’s Gianni Infantino took to Instagram to condemn the “ugly scenes” while there was no press conference delivered by victorious coach Thiaw as a fracas had broken out behind the scenes.

Morocco boss Walid Regragui, who subsequently quit the post to the dismay of the country’s FA, branded Senegal’s actions as “shameful”.

CAF’s statement: Why Senegal forfeit the AFCON final

After a delay of several weeks, CAF announced on 17 March that Senegal had been stripped of their title following an appeal from Morocco.

“The CAF Appeal Board decided that in application of Article 84 of the Regulations of the CAF Africa Cup of Nations, the Senegal National Team is declared to have forfeited the Final Match of the AFCON Morocco 2025, with the result of the Match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Morocco,” an official statement reads.

CAF indicates that Article 82 of AFCON’s rules, which states that if a team refuses to play or leaves the ground before the end of regulation time without the referee’s authority, it will be considered the loser and eliminated from the competition.

In turn, this triggered Article 84, which states that any team violating Article 82 will be permanently eliminated and will lose the match 3-0.

Senegal’s ground for appeal

Senegal are prepared to go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland to receive a definitive judgement on the incident.

South African journalist Melissa Reddy has revealed the grounds they are likely to appeal on.

She explained: “Senegal are likely to argue that they did not abandon the game, the match was completed by the referee’s whistle.

“They can say Article 82 was misapplied because the game continued under the same circumstances and reached its natural end.

“The referee allowing Senegal back on the pitch and Morocco happily continuing the game will be used to state the match - and result - was valid.

“As the final was completed, they can argue the integrity of the game was upheld.

“They can also claim changing the winner of a completed final is an extreme overreach by the Appeal Board. And that the punishment for a delay - not a refusal to play as they finished the game - is excessive.”

Senegal’s argument is likely to boil down to this interpretation of Articles 82 and 84. Did they leave the pitch in a manner that counts as abandonment, or what this a temporary interruption that the referee tolerated? Once play restarted, was the “refusal to play” condition not met?

Recent CAS rulings on match abandonment suggest Senegal’s claims is at least arguable, but overturning a confederation’s application of its own rules remains rare.

Who gets to call themselves African champions – in the record books at least – may ultimately be decided not on the pitch in Rabat, but in a courtroom in Lausanne.