Morocco is expected to gain 18 points and retain its 8th position following the Netherlands in the upcoming FIFA ranking, after CAF declared the country the winner of the African Cup of Nations 2025.
CAF’s appeals body confirmed Morocco as the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations by a 3–0 forfeit, after Senegal withdrew its players ahead of the final on January 18 at Rabat’s Complexe Moulay Abdellah.
The decision overturned the match result initially left in limbo after the Senegalese team refused to play.
Senegal, by contrast, drops two places to 14th. The Teranga Lions had climbed seven spots immediately after the final, reaching the highest FIFA ranking in their history.
Morocco’s eighth-place position consolidates its status as the second-highest ranked African nation of all time. Only Nigeria has done better, reaching fifth in April 1994.
The Atlas Lions regroup this month for the first time since the end of the AFCON tournament and have two scheduled friendly matches. They will face Ecuador on March 27 at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid, before meeting Paraguay on March 31 at Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens, France.
