Africa Forward Summit: "Senegal won the Africa Cup of Nations" (B. Diomaye Faye, President of Senegal)

"2026 is a special year for Senegal: after all, we started it by winning the Africa Cup of Nations," Bassirou Diomaye Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal, said to applause at the Africa Forward Summit, the Africa-France Business Forum held at the University of Nairobi, Kenya, on 11/05/2026.

The Senegalese president spoke alongside three other heads of state - William Ruto (Kenya), Duma Boko (Botswana) and Emmanuel Macron (France) - in the presence of Patrice Motsepe, president of the Confederation of African Football, at the close of a round-table discussion on sport and development.

Bassirou Diomaye Faye is referring to his national team’s victory in the TotalEnergies AFCON 2025 final (1-0 after extra time) against Morocco, in Rabat (MAR) on 18/01/2026. However, following a series of incidents during the match, "the CAF appeal board decided that Senegal is declared to have forfeited the match, with the result of the match being recorded as 3-0 in favour of Morocco," the African bddy announced on 17/03/2026. The Senegalese Football Federation lodged an appeal against this…