With nothing short of controversy and scandal, the 2025 edition of the Africa Cup of Nations ends with a Senegal victory over Morocco. The Teranga Lions defeated Morocco on their home turf, with an extra-time strike from Papa Gueye bringing the scoreline to 1-0.
The entire tournament, allegations were made that the Moroccan squad had calls favored to them given the location of the tournament. The final was no exception, with the first of numerous controversies being a disallowed goal from Senegal’s Sadio Mane. The Al Nassr forward had a 64th minute goal to put Senegal up, but the referee blew the play dead due to a suspected foul. By blowing the whistle, it took away the opportunity to go to Virtual Assistant Replay (VAR), in which it could’ve been determined that there was no foul and Mane’s goal counted.
Play continued with a 0-0 score and the Senegalese furious, albeit the Moroccans most likely relieved. Fast forward to the 98th minute, and Morocco captain Achraf Hakimi was pulled to the floor during a corner kick. The referee called for a penalty, this time keeping the whistle far away and letting the decision go to VAR; after reviewing, he went with his original decision of penalty. The outrage was not really at if it was a penalty or not, which it appeared to be, but that the referee had given this one a chance at being reviewed/decided, but for Senegal he called the play dead, robbing it of any chance of review.
What happened next was the biggest headline; the Senegalese team walked off the pitch for twenty minutes, with all but Mane leaving. “I would rather lose than see something like that happen to our game,” the star forward said.
Upon returning to the pitch, Real Madrid’s Brahim Diaz stepped up for the penalty. Diaz was set to win the tournament’s Golden Boot with five goals throughout. However, this opportunity saw failure as the Moroccan hit a weak Panenka shot down the middle into Edouard Mendy’s hands. The stadium went dead silent as the game finally reached the end of regulation.
Gueye, a midfielder for Spanish side Villareal, hit a screamer into the top right corner from the edge of the box. The game went on to finish 1-0, with Senegal winning their second AFCON of the last three editions. Sadio Mane, perhaps the most recognized and experienced player on the Lions, took home Player of the Tournament for his displays and two goals.
The scandal-filled final poses yet another threat to the respect given to AFCON as the tournament looks to place itself in the high graces of the international football community. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) made a move in hopes of this earlier in the year, announcing that, starting in 2028, AFCON would take place every four years instead of two, mimicking the timeline of the European Championships and the World Cup. The move also aimed to increase the attraction in African players for top European clubs, as some often ignore Africans knowing they’ll miss them for an entire month every two years.
When a final features a squad leaving the pitch and massive slipups from the referee, it becomes harder to give the tournament the respect it deserves. The tournament fields some of the best players in the world, and they deserve a world-class tournament. The 2027 edition of AFCON will be held in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. This is the first time the tournament will be held in three nations. After 2027, AFCON will be held in 2028 to then set the four-year-cycle, with the next in 2032.
The use of three host nations could do great to bolster attendance, as football tournaments around the world have made the move. The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. The 2028 Euros will be in England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The 2030 World Cup will have matches in a record six nations, with the tournament primarily in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
Senegal will have a nice time back home, with the Senegalese government awarding each player with oceanside plots spanning 1,500 square meters. Morocco, however, will have to linger on their home defeat until 2027.
