Senegal confident after Sports Arbitration Court hearing over Africa Cup of Nations final

The dispute over the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 final moved to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Lausanne, Switzerland, on Thursday, 8 October, with Senegal expressing confidence after a closed-door hearing. Morocco made no comment after the proceedings.

CAS heard the appeal lodged by the Senegalese Football Federation against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision to declare Senegal forfeited and award the title to Morocco following a 3-0 ruling.

The hearing ended in the afternoon after several hours of discussions. The three-member arbitration panel will now consider the case before issuing its decision.

CAS said no verdict would be delivered on Thursday, adding that the ruling could come in the next few days or weeks.

Speaking after the hearing, Senegalese Football Federation secretary general Abdoulaye Seydou Sow said the country had presented its case fully but did not disclose details of the arguments.

“Our lawyers presented our arguments, put forward all our observations and were heard by the arbitration panel,” he said.

Sow added that Senegal had “defended itself well”.

There was no statement from the Moroccan side after the hearing.

Senegal won the final on the pitch, beating Morocco 1-0 after extra time in Rabat on 18 January 2026.

However, on 17 March, CAF declared the Lions forfeited and registered the match as a 3-0 victory for Morocco. The Senegalese Football Federation subsequently referred the matter to CAS in an attempt to overturn that decision.