2025 Africa Cup of Nations final: CAS verdict on Morocco-Senegal dispute not expected soon

Senegal, Morocco and the Confederation of African Football (CAF) will not learn the outcome of their dispute over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final on Thursday, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) warning that its ruling could take days or even weeks.

The hearing is taking place in Lausanne and began in the morning. Proceedings are expected to continue until no later than 16:00 (GMT+2), after which the three-member arbitration panel will consider the case and prepare its decision.

The panel consists of Gerald Simon, Ulrich Haas and Luigi Fumagalli.

CAS director general Matthieu Reeb, who spoke to the media during the hearing, said a ruling was not expected immediately.

“I don’t think it will be today or tomorrow. I am fairly sure of that,” Reeb said.

He added that the court’s aim was to reach a decision as quickly as possible after the hearing.

Asked when that might be, Reeb said further information could be available later on Thursday.

“It may be necessary to wait until this afternoon for further information from the tribunal, so that I can perhaps give you more precise details,” he said. “But it could take a few days or even a few weeks if the arbitrators want to write a full decision with the legal reasons.”

The timetable will depend largely on how long the panel needs to agree its position and set out the legal basis for its ruling.

There is also a review procedure before the final sentence can be officially notified. Renaud Duchene, a lawyer specialising in sports law, told Le360 that the process carried out by the CAS president could itself require considerable time.

Under the CAS Code, once an arbitration award has been prepared, it must be checked before it can be signed. The CAS director general may make formal corrections and raise questions of principle with the panel, but cannot interfere with its independence or decision-making powers.

“The CAS president will check that everything complies with CAS standards, the regulations and the required drafting process,” Duchene said.

Senegal, Morocco and their supporters must therefore wait longer for a definitive outcome. The only certainty following Thursday’s hearing is that the winner of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations will not be officially confirmed that day.