CAS sets November date for AFCON title appeal verdict

The Court of Arbitration for Sport will deliver its ruling on Senegal's AFCON title appeal at the end of November, the court announced on Monday.

A hearing on the case took place behind closed doors at the court's headquarters in Lausanne on October 8, the organisation which settles international sports disputes said in a statement.

"The panel have begun and continue their deliberations," the court said. "The CAS arbitrators have decided to issue a complete ruling which includes legal grounds, known as a CAS Award. This process will require several weeks, with the CAS Award expected at the end of November 2026."

A CAS Award is a complete ruling that includes the court's full legal reasoning, rather than a bare decision. The choice to issue one explains why the verdict will take several weeks instead of arriving within days.

The announcement ends months of uncertainty over the timetable. The outcome remains unknown, and the award will close a dispute that began on the night of the final in January.

A final stopped in its tracks

The case traces back to January 18, when Senegal beat host nation Morocco after extra time in the final at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat.

The penalty that sparked the walk-off came in the last minute of regulation time, the Associated Press reported. After the players returned, the rest of normal time passed quietly before Gueye's extra-time winner settled the match on the field. Soccer's Laws of the Game state that a referee's decisions are final, the Associated Press noted.

The occasion turned chaotic late in normal time. With the match still goalless, referee Maguette Ndiaye awarded Morocco a penalty, prompting Senegal's players to leave the pitch in protest. Some Senegal supporters tried to invade the field, and play was suspended for nearly 20 minutes before the players returned, according to match reports.

The penalty was missed. Brahim Diaz attempted a panenka, and Senegal goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved it comfortably. The remaining minutes of normal time passed without further scoring, and Pape Gueye struck the only goal of the game in extra time.

Senegal celebrated on the night as though the trophy was theirs. Two months later, it was taken away.

CAF overturned the result in March

On March 17, the Confederation of African Football's Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match, finding the team guilty of leaving the field of play without the referee's authorisation under articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations, AFP reported.

The decision recorded a 3-0 victory for Morocco by default and transferred the title to the host nation. The ruling overturned a result decided on the pitch, a move the Associated Press reported shocked soccer.

Senegal lodged its appeal with the Lausanne court on March 25, asking the arbitrators to overturn CAF's decision and recognise the Senegalese Football Federation as the tournament winner. Central to Senegal's case is the argument that the referee allowed the match to continue, and that his decisions on the field of play should stand. Senegal took the case to Switzerland eight days after the CAF ruling.

What the November verdict will decide

The case was heard by a three-person panel chaired by French sports law expert Gerald Simon, alongside Luigi Fumagalli of Italy and Ulrich Haas of Germany, Reuters reported. Both Morocco's football federation and CAF presented arguments at the hearing.

CAS director general Matthieu Reeb had suggested after the hearing that a decision could arrive within days. The court has instead opted to issue a complete award with its full legal reasoning, which it says requires several weeks.

The court also warned against speculation, saying only information published through its own channels is official. The warning follows months of fabricated claims about the case circulating online, including fake verdicts attributed to the court, and the court said any announcement will appear on the CAS website.

If Senegal's challenge succeeds, the Teranga Lions would regain what would be their second continental crown. If the verdict upholds CAF's ruling, the title stays with Morocco. The award will include the court's full legal reasoning.

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