The long legal dispute over the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) final between Morocco and Senegal may be nearing its end. According to information obtained by the Qatari sports outlet Winwin and relayed by Morocco World News, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has told the legal teams of the Moroccan and Senegalese football federations that the case has reached the final stage of deliberations and that a ruling is expected in the coming days.
It is important to be clear about what this is: a report based on a single outlet's information, not an official CAS announcement. At the time of writing, no decision has been published and its content is unknown.
What was reportedly communicated
The notification described by Winwin tells the parties only that the proceedings have reached their last phase. It reportedly does not contain any detail about the content of the coming ruling and gives no indication of which federation could prevail. Until CAS publishes its decision, the dispute therefore remains open.
How the dispute reached Lausanne
The case traces back to the decision of the Appeals Board of the Confederation of African Football (CAF), taken on 17 March 2026. That body ruled that Senegal had forfeited the AFCON 2025 final against Morocco. The decision awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory, overturning the result on the pitch, where Senegal had won 1-0. CAF's ruling put Morocco in line to be recognised as continental champion.
The Senegalese Football Federation rejected that decision and took the matter to the CAS in Lausanne, Switzerland. By its appeal, it is asking to have CAF's ruling set aside and the original 1-0 result recognised. The dispute has thus kept the final in the headlines long after the competition ended, turning a football match into a legal battle between two federations.
What is at stake
- For Morocco: the ruling will clarify the status of the national team's AFCON 2025 title, which it holds under the CAF Appeals Board's decision but which remains contested.
- For Senegal: a CAS ruling in its favour would restore the result recorded on the pitch; a ruling against it would confirm CAF's decision.
- For African football: the case is a test of how the continental body applies its competition regulations and how far a tribunal will go in reviewing such decisions.
How CAS decisions work
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is the international body that settles sports disputes. In an appeal like this one, a panel of arbitrators examines the written submissions and hearing, deliberates, and then issues a written award, sometimes first communicating only the operative part. CAS awards are binding on the parties, with only a very limited possibility of challenge before the Swiss Federal Tribunal, generally on procedural grounds or grounds of public policy. These are general features of the CAS system and not details disclosed in this particular case.
What remains unknown
- The date of the ruling: "in the coming days" is not a precise date.
- The content of the ruling: nothing has been disclosed, and anyone who claims to know it before the official publication is speculating.
- The grounds: CAS usually explains its reasoning in a reasoned award; the parties and the public will have to wait for it.
What to retain
The reported notification confirms that the case is nearly complete, not how it will end. The reliable markers are, first, CAF's decision of 17 March awarding Morocco a 3-0 win, and second, Senegal's appeal to CAS. Everything beyond that depends on a decision that, as of 14 November, has not been made public.
Main image: the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne (file photo) — Fanny Schertzer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
