The AFCON 2025 final , played on Sunday, 18 January 2026 , between Senegal and host nation Morocco , was overshadowed by controversy following a dramatic late penalty decision.
Softfootball gathered, The flashpoint came in the 907 minute, when the referee awarded a penalty to Morocco during added time. The decision was immediately rejected by Senegal's players and officials, who believed the call was unjust, especially after feeling a Senegal goal moments earlier had been wrongly disallowed.
In the heat of the moment, Senegal's head coach instructed his players to leave the pitch, leading to scenes of confusion and tension around the 101st minute, with the final briefly on the brink of collapse.
