LAUSANNE, October 19, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — Senegal’s appeal against the removal of its Africa Cup of Nations title will be decided at the end of November, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Monday, extending the wait for a final ruling on the disputed championship awarded to Morocco.
Senegal is challenging the Confederation of African Football’s (CAF) decision to overturn the result of January’s final in Rabat, where the team beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time. CAS heard arguments from Senegal, Morocco and CAF in Lausanne on October 8.
The sports tribunal had initially indicated that a decision could come within days of the hearing. It has since opted to issue a full ruling, including the legal grounds for its decision, known as a CAS Award.
“This process will require several weeks, with the CAS Award expected at the end of November 2026,” the court said in a statement.
The dispute stems from a dramatic end to regulation time in the final. Senegal’s players left the pitch for 14 minutes after a penalty was awarded against them late in the match. Several players returned to the dressing room in protest before the team resumed play.
Morocco missed the penalty, and the match went into extra time, when Senegal scored the winning goal. Two months later, however, CAF’s Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the match by walking off the pitch. It overturned the result and awarded Morocco a 3-0 victory, stripping Senegal of the title.
Senegal lodged its appeal with CAS on March 25, arguing in part that the referee’s decisions were final and that the match had been allowed to continue to its conclusion.
CAS Director General Matthieu Reeb acknowledged the frustration caused by the delay when speaking outside the October 8 hearing.
“I know it’s a long wait for the fans a few months after the final between Senegal and Morocco,” he said, adding that he expected the ruling to follow after further consideration of procedural and legal issues.
The panel is chaired by French sports law expert Gérald Simon, with Italian international law professor Luigi Fumagalli and Ulrich Haas, a Hamburg-based attorney and professor of law at the University of Zurich, also serving.
CAS decisions, known as awards, carry the same value as national court judgments and can be enforced under the New York Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards. Depending on the circumstances, enforcement may be carried out by sports federations or state courts.
The ruling will determine whether CAF’s decision to award Morocco the title stands or Senegal’s victory on the pitch is restored.