CAS sets 8 October hearing for Senegal’s appeal over AFCON title decision

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear the Senegalese Football Federation’s appeal against the decision to strip the country of the Africa Cup of Nations title on 8 October 2026.

The hearing, which will be held at the CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, follows Senegal’s challenge to the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to overturn the result of the AFCON final and award the title to Morocco.

Senegal originally won the final 1-0 after Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal in extra time.

However, the match was overshadowed by controversy after the end of normal time, when several Senegal players left the pitch in protest following CAF’s decision to award Morocco a penalty while the game was still goalless.

The players eventually returned to the field and the match continued, with Senegal going on to claim victory through Gueye’s extra-time strike.

CAF subsequently reviewed the circumstances surrounding the final and, in March 2026, overturned the original result.

The governing body awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory and recognised the North Africans as the champions, prompting the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) to appeal to CAS.

The dispute will now move to sport’s highest court, with the hearing scheduled to begin at 09:30 local time on Thursday, 8 October.

CAS confirmed that the proceedings will take place in person but will be held behind closed doors, meaning journalists will not be allowed inside the hearing.

“The hearing is scheduled on Thursday, 8 October 2026,” CAS said in an operational note issued to the media.

“The hearing will be in person at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The hearing date was fixed after consultation with the Parties, who did not request that it be made public. This means it will take place behind closed doors, without media present.”

Representatives of both the FSF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) are expected to attend the hearing in Lausanne, while CAF will be represented by its legal team.

The three-member CAS panel will be chaired by French professor Gérald Simon, with Italian professor Luigi Fumagalli and German professor Dr Ulrich Haas completing the panel.

The parties have also agreed that the proceedings will be conducted in French.

CAS said the hearing is expected to continue until the afternoon, after which the panel will begin its deliberations.

However, the court has stressed that no immediate ruling should be expected.

“After the hearing, the Panel will start its deliberations. At this stage, CAS cannot state when a final decision will be rendered but it will not be on the day of the hearing,” the statement added.

The case has significant implications for the final outcome of the AFCON competition, with Senegal seeking to have the original result reinstated and Morocco’s title recognition overturned.

The dispute centres on CAF’s decision to retrospectively change the outcome of a final that Senegal had won on the pitch, following the controversy surrounding the late penalty incident and the conduct of players during the match.

Journalists who intend to cover developments from outside the CAS headquarters on the day of the hearing have been asked to contact the court’s media department and provide valid press credentials.

CAS said any further announcements concerning the case will be published on its official website.