The champion of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (CAN/AFCON) remains officially undecided ten months after the final, with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS, known in French as TAS) now weighing an unprecedented dispute between Morocco and Senegal.
What happened in the final
The final was played on January 18, 2026, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, according to the English-language Wikipedia entry on the match. Senegal won 1-0 after extra time, with Pape Gueye scoring in the 94th minute.
In stoppage time, referee Jean-Jacques Ndala disallowed a Senegalese goal for a foul and then, after a VAR review, awarded Morocco a penalty. Senegalese players left the pitch in protest for about 14 minutes before returning; goalkeeper Édouard Mendy saved Brahim Díaz's penalty attempt, and Senegal's 1-0 scoreline stood at the final whistle, per the same source.
CAF reverses the result
On March 17, 2026, the CAF Appeal Board overturned the on-field result, ruling that Senegal had forfeited the match by leaving the pitch, Wikipedia's summary of the case states. Citing Article 84 of the competition regulations, the board applied the rule that a team violating Article 82 is "permanently eliminated and will lose the match 3-0," and declared Morocco champions instead.
The reversal came after a separate disciplinary process in late January 2026, in which CAF fined and suspended players and officials from both federations, according to AllAfrica's French-language coverage. Senegal's coach Pape Bouna Thiaw received a five-match suspension and a $100,000 fine, while two Senegalese players were given two-match bans. The Senegalese federation was fined a combined $615,000 for supporter misconduct and fair-play violations. On the Moroccan side, Achraf Hakimi was suspended for two matches (one suspended) and Ismaël Saibari for three, while the Moroccan federation was fined $315,000, including penalties over ball-boy conduct and VAR-zone interference. CAF rejected a separate Moroccan complaint against Senegal over regulation violations, the same report said.
Senegal's appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Senegalese Football Federation called the CAF ruling a "travesty" with "no legal foundation" and announced on March 18, 2026, that it would appeal to CAS, filing the case formally on March 25, per Wikipedia's account.
A closed-door hearing was held in Lausanne on October 8, 2026, lasting just over five hours, France24 reported. Representatives of the Senegalese and Moroccan federations and CAF attended; Senegalese federation secretary general Abdoulaye Sow said his side was seeking a ruling made "for dignity" and "African honor," according to the broadcaster. CAS director general Matthieu Reeb said afterward that a reasoned decision would take "several days, even weeks."
Africa Soccer reported that Morocco's case rests on the argument that any team leaving the pitch must be sanctioned with an automatic 3-0 forfeit. The outlet also reported that Morocco alleged CAF referees' commission president Olivier Safari had asked referee Ndala not to send off Senegalese players despite three being at risk of dismissal. Senegal's legal team argued the match legally resumed and was completed under the authority granted to the referee by Law 5 of the International Football Association Board (IFAB), meaning the title could not later be reassigned, the same outlet said.
What CAS could decide
According to Africa Soccer, the CAS panel is weighing three possible outcomes in the case.
Possible CAS outcomes in the Morocco-Senegal case| Outcome | Effect |
|---|
| Uphold CAF's ruling | Morocco keeps the title via the 3-0 forfeit decision |
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| Restore the pitch result | Senegal's 1-0 extra-time win is recognized as the official result |
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| Annul and remand | The case returns to CAF for a new decision, leaving the title unresolved |
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No date for the verdict had been confirmed as of the hearing, Africa Soccer said. A separate report by the same outlet put the expected window for the ruling between October 18 and 22, 2026.
What is still unknown
- The exact date CAS will publish its ruling has not been officially confirmed beyond the October 18-22 window reported by Africa Soccer.
- Whether CAS will rule on the title alone or also revisit any of the disciplinary sanctions imposed by CAF has not been specified in available reporting.
- Neither federation's CAS legal filings have been made public in full; summaries rely on statements from officials and reporters present at the hearing.
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