soccer

Morocco clinches crucial victory over Senegal, overtaking rivals for Africa’s crown in World Cup qualifiers!

By Sean Leahy,Ryan YoungYahoo Sports

The final saw Senegal pull its player off the field in protest of a referee's decision leading to a delay.

The Confederation of African Football appeal board has ruled that Morocco is the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations champions after it declared Senegal "have forfeited the Final . " Senegal's 1-0 victory is now recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco. During the Jan.

18 final , Senegal held an in-game protest for 15 minutes by leaving the field during second half stoppage time. Fans attempted to enter the field following the awarding of a penalty kick to Morocco with the score tied 0-0. That decision came just minutes after what would have been a winning goal for Senegal was called off at the other end.

[ Enter Yahoo Fantasy Bracket Mayhem now for your shot at $50K ] That led to both benches breaking out into a fight on the sidelines. Eventually, Senegal manager Pape Thiaw called his team off the field and into the locker room out. CONTROVERSY ERUPTS IN RABAT!!

😱 😤 A highly disputed penalty awarded to Morocco sent the match into chaos 🚨 Senegal took a drastic stand, leaving the pitch for 12 minutes in protest 📺 Don’t miss all AFCON action, only on beIN SPORTS #beINSPORTS #beINAFCON2025 #CAN2025 … pic. twitter. com/mIQlFwvVjZ — beIN SPORTS USA (@beINSPORTSUSA) January 18, 2026 While the players were off the field, a fight broke out in the Senegal supporters’ section.