CAS to hear Senegal appeal over disputed 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) will hear Senegal’s appeal against the decision that awarded Morocco victory in the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.

The hearing has been scheduled for 8 October at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, the court said in an official statement on Wednesday.

The final had ended with Senegal winning 1-0. However, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) subsequently ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match and recorded Morocco as 3-0 winners.

The Senegalese Football Federation lodged its appeal on 25 March 2026. It is seeking to have CAF’s decision overturned and for Senegal to be officially declared champions of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.

CAS said the parties had not agreed to an expedited procedure, meaning the case will follow the standard timetable set out in the court’s rules. None of the parties requested a public hearing, so the proceedings will be held behind closed doors.

The hearing is expected to begin at 09:30 and finish in the afternoon. Representatives of the Senegalese Football Federation and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation will attend in person in Lausanne, while CAF will be represented by its lawyers.

The tribunal will be chaired by Gerald Simon of France, with Luigi Fumagalli of Italy and Ulrich Haas of Germany completing the panel.

“The parties have agreed that the proceedings will be conducted in French,” CAS said. It added that any further announcements concerning the case would be published on its website.

Once the hearing has concluded, the tribunal will begin its deliberations. CAS stressed that no date has yet been set for the final decision and that the verdict will not be delivered on the day of the hearing.

The court also warned against the circulation of inaccurate information about the dispute online, saying that official details about the case would come only through CAS’s authorised channels.

The title could become the first Africa Cup of Nations crown in the continent’s history to be decided in court, following a final marked by tension and controversy.