CAS sets 8 October hearing for Senegal-Morocco Africa Cup of Nations dispute

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear the case involving the Federation Senegalaise de Football (FSF), the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Federation Royale Marocaine de Football (FRMF) over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final on Thursday, 8 October 2026.

The hearing will take place at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, and is scheduled to begin at 09:30. It “should end in the afternoon”, according to a statement from the tribunal.

Representatives of the parties will attend the hearing. The FSF and FRMF will be represented in person, while CAF will appear through its legal representatives.

The proceedings will not be open to the media. CAS said none of the parties had requested a public hearing, meaning the case will be heard behind closed doors and journalists will not be allowed inside the room.

No verdict expected on day of hearing

Once the hearing has concluded, the three arbitrators appointed to the case will begin their deliberations.

CAS has also confirmed that no decision will be issued on the day of the hearing. The tribunal said it was not currently able to give a specific date for the final verdict.

Any announcement concerning the case will be published on the CAS website, the tribunal added.

The arbitration panel has been named, with French professor Gerald Simon appointed as its president. He will be joined by Italian professor Luigi Fumagalli and German professor Dr Ulrich Haas.

The panel will consider an appeal lodged by the FSF against decisions made in the dispute surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final between Senegal and Morocco.

Senegal originally won the match 1-0 after extra time, before the CAF Appeal Commission decided to withdraw the title from the Lions.

The case therefore centres on the appeal brought by the Senegalese federation against the outcome of the decisions relating to the final. The hearing is scheduled to take place in the presence of the relevant parties, but without public access or media coverage from inside the venue.

CAS’s latest announcement provides a timetable for the next stage of the proceedings but does not set a date for when the dispute will finally be resolved.