The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set October 8, 2026, as the date it will hear Senegal's appeal challenging a Confederation of African Football (CAF) decision that stripped the country of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title and awarded the championship to Morocco.
In a statement on Friday, CAS announced that the hearing will take place at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) will ask the tribunal to restore Senegal's status as the official winners of AFCON 2025.
According to the sports tribunal, the case will proceed under its standard procedures after the parties declined to seek an expedited hearing.
CAS also confirmed that the hearing will be conducted behind closed doors after the parties opted against making the proceedings public.
“The Parties did not agree to expedite this procedure, which is therefore following a standard timeline according to CAS procedural rules. The hearing date was decided after consultation with the Parties, who also did not request that it be made public. This means it will take place behind closed doors,” the tribunal said.
It added that the panel assigned to the case will begin deliberations after the October hearing but indicated that its final ruling will be delivered at a later date.
“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 tribunal said.
CAS added that any future announcements on the proceedings will be published through its official communication channels, cautioning against misinformation surrounding the case.
The dispute stems from a dramatic AFCON 2025 final between Senegal and hosts Morocco in January that descended into chaos during stoppage time with the match still goalless.
Senegal believed it had scored the winning goal through Ismaïla Sarr, but the effort was ruled out after referee Jean-Jacques Ndala judged there had been a foul in the build-up.
Moments later, following a VAR review, Morocco was awarded a penalty, a decision that sparked furious protests from Senegal's players and coaching staff.
The confrontation brought the match to a halt after some Senegal players briefly left the pitch on the instructions of former head coach Pape Thiaw, before returning about 14 minutes later to complete the game.
Morocco failed to capitalise on the spot kick after goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved Brahim Diaz's penalty, and the match went into extra time, where Pape Gueye scored the decisive goal to hand Senegal what appeared to be the AFCON title.
However, in March, CAF's Appeals Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match by leaving the field without authorisation, awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory and declared the North African side champions of the tournament.
Rejecting the outcome, the Senegalese federation took the dispute to CAS, arguing that CAF wrongly awarded the title to Morocco and asking the tribunal to recognise Senegal as the rightful AFCON 2025 champions. CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) were named as respondents in the petition.
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