AFCON 2025: CAS confirms Senegal appeal over final

The saga surrounding the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON 2025) final has taken another turn. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) officially registered, this Tuesday, March 25th in Lausanne, the appeal filed by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), thus initiating a legal sequence with considerable implications.

🚨 OFFICIAL: CAS confirms Senegalese Football Federation has appealed the decision to call Morocco as winners of the AFCON 2025, asking to restore Senegal as the original winners.

Appeal registered by CAS on 25 March 2026 “to set aside the CAF decision and declares the FSF… pic.twitter.com/iQqLBqVdFE

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 25, 2026

At the heart of the dispute is the decision handed down on March 17th by CAF, which ruled on the controversial final, declaring Senegal defeated by forfeit and awarding the victory to Morocco with a score of 3-0. A decision with far-reaching consequences, immediately contested by the Senegalese side, which refuses to accept this verdict.

In its appeal, now officially registered, the FSF is simply demanding the annulment of this decision and insisting on being recognized as the winner of the competition. This aggressive approach demonstrates Dakar’s determination to achieve a complete reversal of the sporting result through legal means.

But beyond the substance of the matter, the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has also filed a significant procedural request: the immediate suspension of the deadline for filing its appeal. The reasoning behind this request is the lack of detailed reasoning in the CAF’s decision, which until now had only contained the verdict of the Appeals Board. The FSF believes it is therefore unable to fully develop its arguments without having access to the complete reasoning.

The ball is now in the CAS court. An arbitration panel will soon be formed to examine this sensitive case before a procedural timetable is established. Normally, the appellant has twenty days to submit its brief, while the opposing parties have an equivalent period to respond. However, in this specific case, there remains complete uncertainty regarding the deadlines due to the FSF’s request for a suspension.

Aware of the media and sporting significance of the case, the Director General of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), Matthieu Reeb, sought to reassure everyone regarding the handling of the matter. The Lausanne-based body asserts that it is fully equipped to manage this type of dispute, relying on specialized and independent arbitrators. While acknowledging the high expectations of the teams and fans, the CAS nevertheless emphasizes the need to guarantee a fair trial, an essential condition for any credible decision.

This procedure thus opens a new chapter in an already explosive affair, one certainty is clear: the battle for the title of the 2025 AFCON is now far from over.

EDITOR NOTE: This article is translated from the original written in French by Omar Chraibi for Pan-Africa Football.