Why was AFCON 2026 final result overturned? CAF declares Senegal victory forfeit, hands trophy to Morocco

The 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final was chaotic, as fans witnessed a truly remarkable situation.

Senegal protested a late penalty by the referee, only to re-emerge from the dressing room and press on to win the title by a 1-0 score.

Just two months after that seismic result, the African football governing body overturned the result of the match in an unprecedented decision that has rocked the continent and upended the history of the tournament.

The CAF Appeal Board released a ruling in mid-March that declared the match was null and void, and that Senegal were no longer the winners of the tournament. Instead, Morocco would be the champions of Africa.

The Sporting News explains the ruling, and details how this incredible decision has come about.

Why was AFCON 2026 final result overturned?

On March 17, CAF ruled that Senegal were "declared to have forfeited" the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final, and Morocco were declared winners of the match by a 3-0 default score.

The adjudication came as a result of an official appeal by Morocco regarding the result of the match.

CAF ruled that Senegal's decision to leave the pitch to protest a refereeing decision was a violation of Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations.

Article 82 reads:

"If, for any reason whatsoever, a team withdraws from the competition or does not report for a match, or refuses to play or leaves the ground before the regular end of the match without the authorisation of the referee, it shall be considered loser and shall be eliminated for good from the current competition. The same shall apply for the teams previously disqualified by decision of CAF."

Article 84 reads: 

"The team which contravenes the provisions of articles 82 and 83 shall be eliminated for good from the competition. This team will lose its match by 3-0 unless the opponent has scored a more advantageous result at the time when the match was interrupted, in this case this score will be maintained. The Organising Committee may adopt further measures."

CAF's appeal board argued that by leaving the pitch for more than 10 minutes, Senegal had refused to play, and thus should be eliminated from the competition.

Why did Senegal leave the pitch in the AFCON final?

Deep in stoppage time of the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations final, with the score still unblemished, Congolese referee Jean-Jacques Ndala Ngambo awarded Morocco a penalty and a chance to win the match.

The decision was made to whistle for a foul on Brahim Diaz by El Hadji Malick Diouf. The Senegal full-back was judged to have pulled Diaz to the ground during a corner.

The match quickly descended into chaos, as Senegal players protested in full voice. Manager Pape Thiaw summoned his players to the sideline and encouraged them to leave the field of play, apparently in protest. After a few minutes of arguments on the touchline, the team headed down the tunnel to the locker rooms, with the exception of captain Sadio Mane.

Eventually, Mane was able to recall the group back out onto the pitch to continue the game, and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved Diaz's penalty. The game went to extra time, and Senegal would emerge as winners after Pape Gueye scored a 94th-minute goal.