Senegal’s appeal against Morocco’s AFCON title win to be decided by CAS in November

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) expects to rule at the end of November on Senegal’s appeal against the decision to award Morocco the Africa Cup of Nations title.

CAS said on Monday that a hearing into the case had been held behind closed doors at its headquarters in Lausanne on 8 October.

The organisation, which settles international sports disputes, said its panel of arbitrators had started considering the case and was continuing its deliberations.

“The panel have begun and continue their deliberations,” CAS said in a statement.

It added that the arbitrators had chosen to issue a full ruling, including the legal reasoning behind their decision.

“The CAS arbitrators have decided to issue a complete ruling which includes legal grounds, known as a CAS Award,” the statement said.

“This process will require several weeks, with the CAS Award expected at the end of November 2026.”

The dispute follows the Africa Cup of Nations final in Rabat on 18 January, when Senegal beat Morocco 1-0 after Pape Gueye scored in extra time.

However, the match was disrupted late in normal time after Morocco were awarded a penalty while the score was still 0-0. A number of Senegal players left the pitch in protest at the decision.

Some Senegal supporters also tried to enter the field, causing a delay of almost 20 minutes before the Senegal team returned and the match resumed.

In March, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) overturned the result. Morocco were awarded a 3-0 victory and subsequently given the title.

Senegal have appealed that decision to CAS, whose ruling is expected to determine whether CAF’s alteration of the final result stands.