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Nine months after one of African football’s most controversial finals, the question of who truly won the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations remains unanswered. That could begin to change in October.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed it will hear Senegal’s appeal over the loss of its AFCON 2025 title on 8 October at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. The hearing ends months of uncertainty over the schedule, though the dispute itself remains unresolved after simmering since Senegal’s dramatic 1-0 extra-time victory over hosts Morocco in Rabat was later overturned by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
The controversy dates back to 18 January, when Senegalese players walked off the pitch after Morocco were awarded a stoppage-time penalty with the score locked at 0-0. Angered by the decision, several players headed to the dressing room, forcing a suspension of nearly 20 minutes as chaos unfolded, including an attempted pitch invasion by some Moroccan supporters.
When play resumed, Morocco’s Brahim Diaz saw his Panenka-style penalty saved by goalkeeper Edouard Mendy before Pape Gueye scored the extra-time winner to seal Senegal’s victory. Captain Sadio Mane later lifted the trophy.
The celebrations didn’t last. On 17 March, CAF’s Appeals Board ruled that Senegal had violated Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON regulations by leaving the field of play. The board stripped Senegal of the title and awarded Morocco a 3-0 forfeit victory, handing the trophy to the hosts instead.
The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) strongly rejected the decision, calling it “unjust, unprecedented and unacceptable” and arguing that it undermined the credibility of African football. Secretary General Abdoulaye Seydou Sow told state broadcaster RTS1 that the ruling had “no legal foundation” and claimed the presiding judge “did not come to rule on the case” but “to carry out orders.”
“We will not back down. Senegalese people should have no doubt. The truth is on Senegal’s side, the law is on Senegal’s side,” Sow said.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) maintained that its appeal was intended only to ensure the competition’s rules were correctly applied.
Senegal formally appealed to CAS on 25 March, asking the court to overturn CAF’s decision and restore the Teranga Lions as African champions. The appeal names both CAF and the FRMF as respondents.
Neither CAF nor the FRMF agreed to fast-track the case, meaning it has followed CAS’s standard timetable. According to Spanish sports law outlet Iusport, that process ruled out a decision before autumn. Under CAS rules, appellants have 20 days to submit a detailed appeal brief, while respondents are given another 20 days to file their defence. Those procedural steps account for much of the delay.
CAF president Patrice Motsepe acknowledged the ongoing uncertainty during a press conference in Johannesburg, saying the confederation was “awaiting the final decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport concerning the dispute from the AFCON final between Morocco and Senegal.”
The case has continued to cast a shadow over both nations even as they competed at the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Morocco reached the quarter-finals, while Senegal were eliminated in the round of 32 by Belgium.
CAS has confirmed that the hearing will be held behind closed doors after neither CAF nor the FRMF requested a public session. The court has not set a date for its final ruling and says decisions often take several months after a hearing.
That means no verdict will be delivered on 8 October. Instead, the hearing will mark the start of the court’s deliberations, leaving the identity of Africa’s 2025 champions unresolved for a while longer.
By: Andrews Kwesi Yeboah