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2025 Africa Cup of Nations final

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2025 Africa Cup of Nations final
Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium hosted the match.
Event2025 Africa Cup of Nations
Senegal Morocco
1 0
After extra time
Date18 January 2026 (2026-01-18)
VenuePrince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat
Man of the MatchPape Gueye (Senegal)[1]
RefereeJean-Jacques Ndala (DR Congo)[2]
Attendance66,526[3]
← 2023
2027 →

The 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final was a football match played on 18 January 2026 at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, Morocco.[4] It determined the winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the 35th edition of the biennial African tournament organised by the Confederation of African Football (CAF), and was contested between Senegal and hosts Morocco. Senegal won the match 1–0 in extra time. This was the second time Senegal won the continental competition, having previously won the 2021 edition.[5][6]

The match was marred by controversies, most notably Senegal's decision to walk off the field in protest of both a disallowed goal and detrimental VAR decision in stoppage time. The walk-off and subsequent fan violence were described as "unacceptable" by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, and drew legal action from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation as well as disciplinary investigations by the CAF.[7]

Venue

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Main article: Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium

The Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium is a football stadium in Rabat, Morocco, with a seating capacity of 69,500. Opened on 5 September 2025, it is the home stadium of the Morocco national football team. It is part of a larger sports complex that includes an athletics track and field stadium, the indoor Salle Moulay Abdellah arena, and an Olympic-size swimming pool. It is one of the largest stadiums in Morocco.[8]

Match officials

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CAF announced the full list of referees for the match on 18 January 2026, with referee Jean-Jacques Ndala of the Democratic Republic of the Congo being the main referee.[9] He was assisted on the lines by Guylain Bongele Ngila and Gradel Mwanya Mbilizi, also from DR Congo. The third assistant referee (reserve) was Styven Moutsassi of the Republic of the Congo.[2] The other officials were South African Abongile Tom as fourth referee, Pierre Atcho of Gabon as video assistant referee (VAR), and two officials as assistant video assistant referee (AVAR): Letticia Viana of Eswatini and Stephen Yiembé of Kenya.[2]

Route to the final

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Senegal

[edit]
See also: Senegal at the Africa Cup of Nations
Senegal results
Round Opponent Result
GS  Botswana 3–0
GS  DR Congo 1–1
GS  Benin 3–0
R16  Sudan 3–1
QF  Mali 1–0
SF  Egypt 1–0

Senegal's national football team (nicknamed "Les Lions") first burst onto the international scene when they qualified for the 2002 World Cup and defeated France in their opening match, afterwards reaching the quarterfinals. That same year they reached the AFCON final but lost to Cameroon on penalties. Senegal next qualified for the World Cup in 2018, while their performance in the 2019 AFCON where they lost 1–0 to Algeria in the final cemented their reputation as one of Africa's top sides.[10]: 213–20  In 2021, propelled by Sadio Mané, Senegal won their first AFCON title by beating Egypt on penalties in the final.[11] Prior to the 2025 AFCON Paddy Power gave Senegal odds of 13/2 to win the tournament.[12]

In the group stage Senegal topped Group D by goal difference, after a 3–0 win against Botswana with two goals from Nicolas Jackson, a tight 1–1 draw against second-place DR Congo, and a 3–0 win against Benin despite captain Kalidou Koulibaly being shown a red card in the second half.[4][13][14] Senegal faced Sudan in the first round of knockouts (the Round of 16) who they beat 3–1 after going a goal down thanks to two goals by Pape Gueye before half time.[5] In the quarter finals Senegal beat Mali 1–0 due to a goal from Iliman Ndiaye and a red card for Malian midfielder Yves Bissouma.[6] Senegal faced Egypt in the semi finals, a rematch of the 2021 final, which pitted former Liverpool teammates Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah against one another. Senegal largely controlled the game, with a 78th-minute goal from Mané sending them through to the final.[8]

Morocco

[edit]
See also: Morocco at the Africa Cup of Nations
Morocco results
Round Opponent Result
GS  Comoros 2–0
GS  Mali 1–1
GS  Zambia 3–0
R16  Tanzania 1–0
QF  Cameroon 2–0
SF  Nigeria 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 p)

Morocco national football team (nicknamed the "Atlas Lions") were the tournament's hosts, and had last won the AFCON back in 1976.[15] Their qualification for the 2018 World Cup was their first in 20 years.[16] In the 2022 World Cup, Morocco enjoyed pan-Arab and pan-African support as they embarked on the deepest run ever made by an African team in the World Cup, beating the likes of Spain, Portugal, and Belgium on the way, before being knocked out in the semifinals and ultimately coming 4th.[17] Prior to the 2025 AFCON, Sky Bet gave Morocco odds of 11/4 to win the tournament.[12]

In the group stage Morocco comfortably topped Group A following a 2–0 win against Comoros, a 1–1 draw against Mali with both goals coming from penalties, and a 3–0 win against Zambia with two goals from Ayoub El Kaabi. Brahim Díaz scored three goals throughout the group stage while key player Achraf Hakimi returned from injury towards the end.[18][19][20] Morocco faced Tanzania in the Round of 16 which ended in a tight 1–0 win thanks to a Díaz goal coming from a Hakimi assist.[21] Morocco next came up against Cameroon in the quarter finals which saw Díaz score for a fifth game in a row in a clinical 2–0 win despite Morocco only making 3 shots.[22] Morocco faced Nigeria in the semi finals, which proved a cagey affair as the game remained goalless after 120 minutes. In the subsequent penalty shootout goalkeeper Yassine Bounou saved two penalties to send Morocco through to the final.[23]

Match

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Summary

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The score remained level at 0–0 for most of normal time, with the match ending with a perfectly even 50–50 ratio of possession. The ball spent the slight majority of its time on Senegal's half of the field, with Senegal keeping the ball for long defensive plays before losing it to a Moroccan offense that failed on several short moves up-field. In the second half of the match, Senegal dominated possession of the ball while Morocco tripled the number of shots it took. Moroccan goalkeeper Yassine Bounou made multiple key saves while Senegal relied mostly on its defensive backs to keep the game goalless.[24]

In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Senegal appeared to clinch victory on a successful corner kick. In the build-up to the play, Moroccan defender Achraf Hakimi was knocked to the ground while contesting the kick with Senegalese attacker Abdoulaye Seck. Seck received the incoming kick shortly after Hakimi fell, heading it off the crossbar for a goal assist to Ismaïla Sarr. Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala made a controversial foul call against Seck that resulted in the goal being disallowed. Ndala was criticised for whistling the penalty before the end of the play, thus preventing the VAR from reviewing the validity of the goal.[25]

A few minutes later, in the eighth minute of stoppage time, Senegalese defender El Hadji Malick Diouf held Moroccan attacker Brahim Díaz in the penalty area, triggering a VAR review. Senegal was sanctioned with a penalty kick for Diaz. Disagreeing with the referee’s decision, Senegalese players began shoving Ndala and the opposing team, and Senegal head coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave the pitch in protest. The match was suspended for approximately 14 minutes while Senegalese star player Sadio Mané convinced his teammates in the locker room to return to the field, telling them: "We will play like men!" During this delay, Senegalese fans attempted a pitch invasion and clashed with Moroccan police and fans, and fights broke out in the press box.[26]

Mané's appeals eventually succeeded, and upon the Senegalese team's eventual return to the field, Senegal's goalkeeper Édouard Mendy received a yellow card penalty for delay of the game. Despite the card, Mendy continued to delay the game by refusing to return to the penalty box. Brahim Díaz finally took his penalty kick nearly 21 minutes after the end of regulation time, but his panenka-style attempt was saved by Mendy, and full time ended with the score still tied at 0–0.[27]

During extra time, Pape Gueye scored the only goal of the game for Senegal in the 94th minute with a left-footed shot high into the top right corner of the net from just inside the penalty area to give Senegal a 1–0 win and its second Africa Cup of Nations title.[28] Throughout the match, Moroccan ball boys and two Moroccan players, Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari, had each tried to discard the hand towel of Senegalese goalkeeper Édouard Mendy at various points, forcing substitute Senegalese goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf to intervene. Diouf held the towel up alongside the trophy in his victory photo.[29]

Details

[edit]
Senegal 1–0 (a.e.t.) Morocco
  • P. Gueye 94'
 Report
Attendance: 66,526[3]
Senegal
Morocco
GK 16 Édouard Mendy Yellow card 90+21'
RB 24 Antoine Mendy downward-facing red arrow 76'
CB 2 Mamadou Sarr Yellow card 113'
CB 19 Moussa Niakhaté
LB 25 El Hadji Malick Diouf Yellow card 90+10' downward-facing red arrow 106'
DM 5 Idrissa Gueye (c) downward-facing red arrow 112'
CM 8 Lamine Camara Yellow card 24' downward-facing red arrow 77'
CM 26 Pape Gueye
RF 13 Iliman Ndiaye downward-facing red arrow 77'
CF 11 Nicolas Jackson downward-facing red arrow 90+3'
LF 10 Sadio Mané
Substitutes:
DF 4 Abdoulaye Seck upward-facing green arrow 76'
FW 18 Ismaïla Sarr Yellow card 90+9' upward-facing green arrow 77'
FW 27 Ibrahim Mbaye upward-facing green arrow 77'
FW 12 Cherif Ndiaye upward-facing green arrow 90+3'
DF 14 Ismail Jakobs upward-facing green arrow 106'
MF 6 Pathé Ciss upward-facing green arrow 112'
Coach:
Pape Thiaw
GK 1 Yassine Bounou
RB 2 Achraf Hakimi (c)
CB 5 Nayef Aguerd
CB 25 Adam Masina downward-facing red arrow 89'
LB 3 Noussair Mazraoui downward-facing red arrow 98'
DM 24 Neil El Aynaoui
RM 10 Brahim Díaz downward-facing red arrow 98'
CM 23 Bilal El Khannouss downward-facing red arrow 80'
CM 11 Ismael Saibari downward-facing red arrow 90+4'
LM 17 Abde Ezzalzouli
CF 20 Ayoub El Kaabi downward-facing red arrow 80'
Substitutes:
FW 19 Youssef En-Nesyri Yellow card 112' upward-facing green arrow 80'
MF 14 Oussama Targhalline upward-facing green arrow 80'
DF 18 Jawad El Yamiq upward-facing green arrow 89'
DF 26 Anass Salah-Eddine Yellow card 90+21' upward-facing green arrow 90+4'
FW 16 Ilias Akhomach upward-facing green arrow 98'
FW 7 Hamza Igamane upward-facing green arrow 98'
Coach:
Walid Regragui

Man of the Match:
Pape Gueye (Senegal)[1]

Assistant referees:[2]
Guylain Bongele Ngila (DR Congo)
Gradel Mwanya Mbilizi (DR Congo)
Fourth official:
Abongile Tom (South Africa)
Reserve assistant referee:
Styven Moutsassi (Congo)
Video assistant referee:
Pierre Atcho (Gabon)
Assistant video assistant referees:
Letticia Viana (Eswatini)
Stephen Yiembé (Kenya)

Match rules

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level
  • Maximum of twelve named substitutes
  • Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time
  • Maximum of three substitution opportunities, with a fourth allowed in extra time

Statistics

[edit]
Statistics[30] Senegal Morocco
Goals scored 1 0
Total shots 14 21
Shots on target 7 4
Ball possession 50% 50%
Pass accuracy 81% 81%
Corner kicks 8 10
Saves 4 6
Fouls committed 25 17
Offsides 1 1
Yellow cards 5 2
Red cards 0 0

Post-match

[edit]

The AFCON championship trophy was presented to Senegal team captain Kalidou Koulibaly by CAF President Patrice Motsepe, Prince Moulay Rachid of Morocco, and FIFA President Gianni Infantino.[31] Some social media users commented that Prince Rachid seemed to refuse handing over the trophy, as he did not take it from Motsepe's hands and only briefly touched it as it was handed to Koulibaly, but no official statements supported this claim.[32]

The day after the match, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation announced that it would file a complaint against Senegal with FIFA and CAF, alleging that the events prior to the penalty kick "affected the normal development of the match and the performance of the players".[33][34] The complaint is based on article 82 of the CAF regulations, which states that "if a team refuses to play or leaves the field before the end of the match without the referee's authorization, it must be considered the loser and definitively eliminated from the current competition".[35]

CAF subsequently imposed fines and bans on both teams for misconduct during the final. Senegal's head coach Pape Thiaw received a five-match suspension, while Iliman Ndiaye and Ismaila Sarr were each banned for two matches, alongside heavy fines for the Senegalese Football Federation. Morocco were also sanctioned, with Achraf Hakimi and Ismael Saibari receiving suspensions and the Moroccan federation fined, with all penalties applying only to CAF competitions.[36]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Confederation of African Football [@CAF_Online] (18 January 2026). "Pape Gueye wins the TotalEnergies Man of the Match in the #TotalEnergiesAFCON2025 final. | @Football2Gether" (Tweet). Retrieved 18 January 2026 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ a b c d "Referee Jean-Jacques Ndala appointed to officiate TotalEnergies CAF AFCON 2025 Final". CAFonline.com. Confederation of African Football. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  3. ^ a b "Senegal vs Morocco | Final | Match report". globalsportsarchive.com. 18 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  4. ^ a b "Afcon 2025: Benin 0-3 Senegal - Teranga Lions win group on goal difference". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Senegal beat Sudan to reach AFCON quarterfinals as Pape Gueye grabs brace". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  6. ^ a b "Afcon 2025: Mali 0-1 Senegal - Iliman Ndiaye sends Teranga Lions into sem-finals". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  7. ^ "Player protests, an awful penalty and fan uproar: What happened in the most chaotic AFCON final in history". CNN.com. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  8. ^ a b "Afcon 2025: Senegal 1-0 Egypt - Sadio Mane ends Mohamed Salah's bid for glory". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  9. ^ Atkinson, Mark (18 January 2026). "Scotland's World Cup foes Morocco lose AFCON final amid chaos as Senegal walk off pitch and panenka missed". The Scotsman. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  10. ^ M’bayo, Tamba E. (2022). "Soccer in Senegal: National Identity, Commercialisation, and Acquisition of Wealth". In Ayuk, Augustine E. (ed.). Football (Soccer) in Africa: Origins, Contributions, and Contradictions. Global Culture and Sport Series. Springer. pp. 213–230. doi:10.1007/978-3-030-94866-5_10. ISBN 978-3-030-94866-5.
  11. ^ "Afcon 2021: Senegal beat Egypt on penalties to win first-ever Nations Cup". BBC Sport. 6 February 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  12. ^ a b "AFCON Odds: Who is the favourite to win the Africa Cup of Nations 2025/26? | Sporting News United Kingdom". www.sportingnews.com. 17 December 2025. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  13. ^ "Afcon 2025: Senegal 1-1 DR Congo - Sadio Mane hits equaliser in draw". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  14. ^ Smyth, Rob (23 December 2025). "Afcon 2025: Jackson double seals Senegal's win against Botswana – as it happened". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  15. ^ Church, Ben (19 January 2026). "Player protests, an awful penalty and fan uproar: What happened in the most chaotic AFCON final in history". CNN. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  16. ^ Cox, Christopher (2023). "Morocco's Atlas Lions and Diaspora Support in the 2022 FIFA World Cup". In Kassing, Jeffrey; Lee, Sangmi (eds.). Football and Diaspora: Connecting Dispersed Communities through the Global Game. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-003-81655-3.
  17. ^ Warshel, Yael (12 February 2023). "So-called firsts scored by the Moroccan 'Muslim, Arab, African, post-colonial' and Amazigh Atlas Lions at the 2022 World Cup football games". The Journal of North African Studies. 28 (2): 219–229. doi:10.1080/13629387.2023.2172783. ISSN 1362-9387. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
  18. ^ "Afcon 2025: Zambia 0-3 Morocco - Achraf Hakimi returns as hosts cruise into last 16". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Afcon 2025: Morocco 2-0 Comoros - Atlas Lions win tournament opener". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  20. ^ "Afcon 2025: Morocco 1-1 Mali - Eagles claim draw against hosts in Rabat". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  21. ^ "Afcon 2025: Morocco 1-0 Tanzania - Brahim Diaz fires hosts into last eight". BBC Sport. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  22. ^ "Diaz scores again as Morocco edge out Cameroon in AFCON 2025 quarterfinal". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  23. ^ "Morocco edge Nigeria on penalties to reach Africa Cup of Nations final". France 24. 15 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  24. ^ "Senegal vs Morocco - live score, predicted lineups and H2H stats". FotMob. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  25. ^ Mohammed, Shamseer (20 January 2026). "Why Senegal's disallowed goal should have stood in the AFCON final: a breakdown of the refereeing error". Gulf News. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  26. ^ Fahey, Ciaran (18 January 2026). "Senegal wins Africa Cup after walk-off protest and chaos over controversial penalty for host Morocco". AP News. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  27. ^ "Senegal es campeón de la Copa Africana de Naciones tras vencer a Marruecos en una final cargada de polémica". ESPN (in Spanish). 18 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  28. ^ "Senegal face punishment after 'shameful' walk-off protest in chaotic Afcon final – latest". The Independent. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  29. ^ MacDonald, Keifer (19 January 2026). "Senegal reserve keeper jokes after Afcon towel scuffles". BBC Sport. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  30. ^ "Senegal vs. Morocco – Football Match Stats – January 18, 2026". ESPN. 18 January 2026. Archived from the original on 19 January 2026. Retrieved 18 January 2026.
  31. ^ EL MASAITI, Amira (18 January 2026). "Prince Moulay Rachid hands AFCON cup to Senegal champions". HESPRESS English. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  32. ^ "Moroccan Prince Slammed for 'Embarrassing' Act During AFCON Trophy Presentation". SPORTbible. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  33. ^ "¡Marruecos lleva la final a los despachos! Denuncia a Senegal ante la FIFA y la CAF". Sport (in Spanish). 19 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  34. ^ "Morocco to pursue legal action after AFCON final drama, Senegal set to be sanctioned". RTE Sport. 20 January 2026. Retrieved 20 January 2026.
  35. ^ "Marruecos se aferra al artículo 82 para impugnar la final ante Senegal". Sport (in Spanish). 20 January 2026. Retrieved 21 January 2026.
  36. ^ Hand, Kevin (29 January 2026). "Senegal and Morocco handed fines and bans after AFCON final farce". Al Jazeera.
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