Africa Cup of Nations 2025: CAS hears Morocco and Senegal, but verdict will take months

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) held a hearing on Thursday, October 8, 2026, in Lausanne in the case opposing the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) to the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regarding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title. No verdict will be pronounced at the end of this day of proceedings.

The dispute dates back to the final on January 18. Senegal won that match in extra time, but the Lions of Terranga players had temporarily left the pitch during play. The CAF subsequently awarded the title by default to Morocco (3-0) through its Appeals Committee. The FSF contested this decision before CAS, asking the three independent experts to examine the regularity of the disciplinary sanctions and the procedure applied by the continental body.

Thursday’s hearing is not aimed at replaying the match, but at verifying strict compliance with CAF’s disciplinary regulations. The question of who will officially be crowned African champions therefore remains open.

The final verdict will not be known anytime soon. Renaud Duchêne, a sports law specialist, explained that CAS’s internal process imposes an incompressible deadline: before any signature, the award is transmitted to the tribunal’s director general, Matthieu Reeb, who verifies the document’s compliance with the institution’s standards and regulations, without calling into question the arbitral panel’s freedom of decision. “The CAS president will verify that everything complies with CAS standards, regulations and the way of drafting,” the specialist clarified.

This internal review mechanism considerably extends the timelines. “It can take a month, two months or much more. I do not expect a decision at the end of the day, I am categorical,” warned Duchêne. Nearly nine months after the final, the official winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations is therefore not expected to be known anytime soon.