The Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced on Tuesday (17.03.26) that its appeal board had decided that Senegal are "declared to have forfeited the final" and awarded a 3-0 victory to Morocco.

The showpiece, which was held in the Moroccan capital Rabat, ended in farcical scenes in January when Senegal coach Pape Thiaw and some of his players left the pitch in protest at their opponents being awarded a stoppage-time penalty.

They eventually returned to the field after being persuaded by captain Sadio Mane and Brahim Diaz's resulting spot-kick was saved to send the final to extra time - where Pape Gueye scored the winner as Senegal triumphed 1-0.

CAF had imposed fines of more than $1 million and bans for both Senegal and Morocco players but have now stripped Senegal of the trophy in an unprecedented ruling.

A statement read: "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 Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025, with the result of the match being recorded as 3–0 in favour of the Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football.

"It is declared that the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football, through the conduct of its team, infringed article 82 of the regulations of the Africa Cup of Nations."

Senegal are expected to appeal against the ruling at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Meanwhile, the Moroccan football federation said in a statement: "The federation wishes to recall that its approach has never been intended to challenge the sporting performance of the teams participating in this competition, but solely to request the application of the competition’s regulations.

"The federation reaffirms its commitment to respecting the rules, ensuring clarity in the competitive framework, and maintaining stability within African competitions."