The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has set October 8, 2026, as the date for hearing the dispute between Senegal and Morocco regarding the result of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations final.
The hearing is set to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland, at 9:30am, and representatives from the Senegalese Football Federation, the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, and the Confederation of African Football are expected to appear before the CAS panel.
Following an agreement among the parties, the proceedings will be carried out in French, while the hearing will take place behind closed doors.
The dispute arises from the controversial AFCON 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco, which Senegal initially won 1-0 thanks to a goal by Pape Gueye.
The final was halted when Senegal’s players briefly left the pitch after a penalty was awarded to Morocco. The players eventually returned after Sadio Mane stepped in to calm his teammates down.
Brahim Diaz of Morocco then missed the penalty, and Senegal held on to win the match and claim the trophy.
The controversy persisted after the tournament, as CAF’s Disciplinary Committee handed down sanctions to players and officials from both teams over incidents tied to the final.
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Morocco later challenged the disciplinary rulings, and CAF’s Appeal Board reversed the earlier decision, taking the title away from Senegal and giving the trophy to Morocco.
The Senegalese Football Federation refused to accept the decision and subsequently brought the case before CAS, aiming to have the Appeal Board’s ruling overturned.
The October 8 hearing will give the three parties the chance to present their respective arguments before the independent CAS panel.
CAS stated that a date for the final decision would be announced after the hearing, which means the outcome of the title dispute will not be known on October 8 itself.
The case has continued to draw attention because of what it means for the official outcome of the 2025 AFCON tournament and the circumstances surrounding the controversial final.
