CAN Final Senegal-Morocco: CAS Will Rule by End of November 2026

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will not rule before the end of November 2026 on the dispute between Senegal and Morocco following the Africa Cup of Nations final. The Swiss institution announced on Monday that its arbitrators had begun deliberations and would issue a “complete award, including legal reasoning,” a process that “will take several weeks.”

The legal saga stems from the final played on January 18. Senegal won the match against Morocco (1-0 after extra time) in a particularly tense encounter. A few weeks later, on March 17, the CAF appeals jury overturned the result by awarding the match as a loss by default to the Lions of Teranga. The stated reason: Senegalese players had temporarily left the pitch to return to the dressing room after a penalty was awarded in favor of Morocco late in regular time.

Refusing to accept this decision, the Senegalese Football Federation appealed to the CAS to obtain the annulment of the CAF verdict. Delegations from both countries were heard by the arbitral panel on October 8.

The CAS clarified that “only information communicated through its own channels is considered official,” urging the public to disregard any external announcements on the matter. The question of the official winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations therefore remains unresolved for several more weeks.