Sports

CAF Introduce New Rules After Controversial AFCON 2025 Final

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3 months ago

May 14, 2026

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The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has rolled out new rules after the controversy that surrounded the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final held in Morocco.

CAF president Patrice Motsepe confirmed on May 13 that problems linked to officiating and match control contributed to the confusion that ended the tournament’s final match.

The final in Rabat originally ended with Senegal being named champions after a 1-0 victory in extra time. However, the decision was later reversed after an appeal process, which awarded the title to Morocco following disciplinary actions tied to Senegal’s protest walk-off after a late VAR penalty decision.

The match also attracted heavy criticism due to security issues inside the stadium and accusations of misconduct, including the “towelgate” incident involving Senegal’s goalkeeper and match assistants.

Speaking to BBC Sport Africa, Motsepe said CAF had already carried out a full internal review of what happened.

“We’ve done good work in terms of building the confidence and the trust amongst the football community of our referees and of our VAR,” he said.

He admitted that the organisation still faced challenges and said lessons had been learned from the problems in Morocco.

“But there are still these challenges, and we’ve recognised what the deficiencies were that led to the unfortunate incidents we had in Morocco.

“We’ve introduced new laws, new regulations which will ensure that doesn’t happen again.”

Motsepe also explained that CAF is still working to improve refereeing quality and VAR consistency across African competitions.

“We are continuing to improve the system, because African football must be judged by the highest standards of fairness and integrity,” he said.

The Senegal Football Federation has described the final decision as a “robbery” and has taken the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, where a final ruling is still being awaited.

“We are waiting for the judgment of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, and African football is continuing to grow and develop,” Motsepe said. “Whatever decision comes, we will respect and implement.”

CAF added that the new reforms will focus on better VAR management, stronger security coordination, and clearer disciplinary rules to avoid a repeat of the controversy.

Sports

Countries That Qualified For 2027 Women’s World Cup As Cameroon Beat Nigeria In Quarter- Final

Published

24 hours ago

August 10, 2026

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Cameroon on Sunday secured their place at the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup after edging Nigeria’s Super Falcons 1-0 in their 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations quarter-final encounter.

The victory also sent the Indomitable Lionesses into the WAFCON semi-finals, securing their qualification for next year’s global tournament in Brazil.

The 2026 WAFCON doubles as Africa’s qualifying competition for the 2027 Women’s World Cup, with the four semi-finalists earning the continent’s automatic tickets to the tournament.

Cameroon join Algeria and Morocco, who had already sealed their places after reaching the semi-finals on Saturday.

Brazil will host the 2027 tournament, while the remaining qualifying places are being determined through continental competitions across the various confederations.

See full list of countries that qualified:

Host:

Brazil

AFC:

Australia
China PR
Japan
Korea DPR
Korea Republic
Philippines

CAF:

Algeria
Cameroon
Morocco

Concacaf:

None yet

CONMEBOL:

Argentina
Colombia

OFC:

New Zealand

UEFA:

Denmark
France
Germany
Spain

More teams are expected to secure qualification as the various continental qualification campaigns conclude.

The 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup will feature 32 teams.

Sports

Just in: Unlucky Sunday for Nigeria as Super Falcons, Flying Eagles crumble, World Cup hopes dimmed

Published

1 day ago

August 10, 2026

Austin Ojomah

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It is an unlucky Sunday for two National teams of Nigeria, the Super Falcons fell to Cameroon just as Nigeria’s Flying Eagles have been knocked out of the race for the 2027 FIFA U-20 World Cup after suffering a heavy 4-1 defeat to Burkina Faso in the final of the 2026 WAFU Zone B U-20 Championship.

The defeat at the Stade Charles Konan Banny in Yamoussoukro, Côte d’Ivoire, also ended Nigeria’s hopes of qualifying for the 2027 U-20 Africa Cup of Nations.

The WAFU Zone B final carried added importance, as the winner was guaranteed a place at the 2027 U-20 AFCON, which will serve as the qualifying tournament for the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

With Burkina Faso emerging victorious, the Young Stallions secured the region’s ticket, while Nigeria’s hopes of returning to the global youth tournament came to an end.

Burkina Faso took control of the final from the opening whistle, scoring three goals within the first 15 minutes and leaving the Flying Eagles with a huge deficit.

Nigeria struggled to contain the Young Stallings’ attacking pressure and could not recover from the early setback before the break.

Coach Abdu Maikaba’s side attempted to fight back after the interval but failed to produce the response required to turn the game around.

Burkina Faso eventually added another goal to complete a convincing 4-1 victory, while Nigeria’s consolation effort was not enough to change the outcome.

The result was particularly painful for the Flying Eagles after Burkina Faso had already defeated them 2-0 during the group stage.

Nigeria had hoped to avenge that earlier loss in the final but instead suffered another defeat to the Young Stallions when the stakes were highest.

The Flying Eagles had reached the final after overcoming Côte d’Ivoire in a dramatic semi-final.

Sports

WAFCON 2026: Super Falcons suffer shock defeat as Cameroon gets automatic ticket for World Cup

Published

1 day ago

August 9, 2026

Austin Ojomah

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The defending champions Nigeria Super Falcons suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Cameroon at the Larbi Zaouli Stadium in Casablanca, ending their WAFCON title defense and missing an automatic spot for the World Cup.

A 20th-minute free-kick by Maeva Nyadjou sealed the historic win for the Indomitable Lionesses .

Breakthrough: Teenage defender Maeva Nyadjou scored from a powerful 20th-minute free-kick to put Cameroon ahead.Nigerian Pressure: Nigeria dominated possession and created numerous chances, racking up heavy pressure and shots on goal, but couldn’t break down a resolute Cameroonian defense.Goheroics: Cameroon’s goalkeeper put in a player-of-the-match performance, denying late attacks including a final-moments chance from Esther Okoronkwo.Consequences of the LossWorld Cup Qualification: Cameroon booked an automatic ticket to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Brazil and advanced to the WAFCON semi-finals against Morocco.Play-off Path: Nigeria’s title defense is over, but they move into a Wednesday play-in match against South Africa to chase a remaining inter-confederation play-off spot.Watch the match highlights and key moments from the dramatic quarter-final encounter: