LAGOS SEPTEMBER 24TH (NEWSRANGERS)-Senegal’s squad originally brandished the Cup of Nations trophy following their 1-0 win over Morocco at the Stade Prince Moulay Abdellah in Rabat on 18 January 2026.
They start their campaign for next year’s tournament against Mozambique in Maputo in Group J on Friday.
But Morocco, who begin against Gabon in Group A on Friday night in Rabat, were awarded the 2025 championships on 17 March after the organisers stripped Senegal of the title for flouting competition rules.
The appeals panel of the Confederation of African Football (Caf) said Senegal effectively forfeited the game when they walked off the pitch and delayed the match for nearly 20 minutes in protest over the decision of referee Jean-Jacques Ngambo to consult video assistants before awarding Morocco a penalty deep into second-half stoppage time.
Minutes earlier, Ngambo had refused to refer to the video when disallowing Ismaila Sarr’s goal for Senegal.
Senegal’s football federation has taken the decision of Caf’s appeals panel to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas). Judges at the international tribunal in the Swiss city of Lausanne will consider the evidence on 8 October and deliver their verdict in November.
2027 campaign begins
By the time they specify the 2025 victor, four of the six qualifiers will have taken place to whittle the 48 teams down to 24 for the tournament between 19 June and 17 July in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
The co-hosts will play games in Group D, H and L respectively. Only one other team from those pools will advance to the finals. In the other nine groups, the top two sides will progress.
Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, who played at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, are favourites to emerge from Group C, which also contains Gambia and Somalia.
Both Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire reached the last-32 knockout round at the World Cup, but Ghana went down to Colombia while the Ivorians lost to Norway.
Despite the early exit, Ghana’s football chiefs have kept faith with coach Carlos Queiroz.
“There is always a new challenge,” said the 73-year-old Portuguese veteran on the eve of the clash in Bouaké.
“For me, the most important trophy at this moment is the next game … You cannot be on the top roof without climbing the steps of the building, and the steps for us now are to win the next game.”
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