Lausanne, Switzerland – The battle for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy has officially moved from the pitch to the courtroom. This Wednesday, 25 th March 2026, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed it has registered a formal appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) challenging the decision to strip them of their championship title. The appeal seeks to overturn a controversial ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) issued on March 17 th , which declared Senegal had forfeited the final against Morocco. Despite Senegal winning the match 1-0 on

Lausanne, Switzerland – The battle for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) trophy has officially moved from the pitch to the courtroom. This Wednesday, 25th March 2026, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirmed it has registered a formal appeal from the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) challenging the decision to strip them of their championship title. The appeal seeks to overturn a controversial ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) issued on March 17th, which declared Senegal had forfeited the final against Morocco. Despite Senegal winning the match 1-0 on the field in January, CAF retrospectively awarded a 3-0 victory to Morocco, citing a temporary walk-off by Senegalese players during a stoppage-time penalty dispute. Senegal is now asking the world’s highest sports tribunal to annul that unprecedented decision and reinstate them as the rightful African champions. The legal dispute centers on Articles 82 and 84 of the AFCON Regulations. CAF’s Appeal Board previously ruled that Senegal’s brief walk-off prompted by a controversial penalty awarded to the hosts, constituted a refusal to play. However, the FSF has branded the forfeiture iniquitous and unacceptable, arguing that the right to a fair hearing was ignored and that the match actually concluded with a sporting result on the pitch.

In its statement this Wednesday, CAS confirmed the following procedural steps of which the case was officially entered into the CAS rolls on March 25, 2026. Senegal has requested an immediate pause on the timeline for filing their full legal brief. They argue they cannot properly defend themselves until CAF provides the full grounds, the detailed legal reasoning behind the March 17 verdict. CAS will now appoint a panel of independent arbitrators to adjudicate the matter. CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb emphasized that while the tribunal aims for an expedited process given the high stakes for fans and players, the timeline remains uncertain due to the pending request for CAF's full documentation. As it stands, Morocco remains the recorded winner of AFCON 2025, but the trophy’s ultimate destination is now subject to international arbitration. The ruling by CAS will be final and binding, potentially setting a massive precedent for how governing bodies handle on field protests and retrospective forfeitures in international football.

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