Despite being stripped of the title, Senegal paraded the AFCON trophy at the Stade de France before the friendly match against Peru.
Published on 28 March 2026
Senegal, which won the Africa Cup of Nations title in a controversial final against hosts Morocco in January – only to be stripped of the victory just weeks later – paraded the trophy ahead of a friendly against Peru at the Stade de France in Paris.
Senegal captain Kalidou Koulibaly and his teammates took to the field with the AFCON trophy in honor of Senegal superstar Youssou N’Dour after a pre-match concert on Saturday.
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Koulibaly and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, among others, walked up to the stadium’s presidential box to present the trophy to Senegal Football Federation president Abdoulaye Fall.
Just hours earlier, Morocco had announced the closure of the trophy case following the Confederation of African Football (CAF)’s decision to overturn Senegal’s 1-0 win in January’s final following a mid-game walk-off by their players.
CAF’s appeal panel awarded Morocco a 3–0 win, along with the title.
Senegal and Morocco remain embroiled in AFCON dispute
Senegal have said they will take their appeal back to CAF and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), which could take a year to reach a decision.
The Senegalese government has called for an independent international investigation into CAF’s decision and alleged corruption should also be looked into.
Senegal’s players left the field at normal time during the final in protest of the penalty awarded to Morocco, which – when Senegal returned after a 14-minute delay – was missed.
That day’s match was decided by Pep Gueye’s strike in extra time. Morocco immediately appealed the result, but it was initially rejected by CAF.
Senegal turns Paris into AFCON trophy celebration
A crowd of 70,000 was expected for the match at 16:00 GMT on Saturday. By the time the players showed off their trophy, thousands of Senegalese supporters, along with Peruvian fans, were already at the Stade de France.
Earlier, about 200 Senegalese supporters gathered in front of the nearby Basilica of Saint-Denis before heading to the Stade de France to the sound of traditional drums and percussion.
The newly elected mayor of Saint-Denis, Ballie Bagayoko, briefly joined the procession.
“Welcome to Saint-Denis,” said the mayor. “I would like to thank everyone who organized this wonderful initiative.
“You are the pride of the residents of working-class neighborhoods. We are often discriminated against, often looked down upon.
“You are showing that you are able to come together at such a critical moment. Today, Africa is united. Everyone is behind Senegal.”
The friendly match against Peru was to be the Lions of Teranga’s first match since the Africa Cup of Nations final.
They are preparing for the World Cup, where they have been pitted in a group with France, Norway and either Bolivia or Iraq.
Their team on Saturday was almost identical to the one competing at the Africa Cup of Nations.
