CAS to Decide Senegal vs Morocco AFCON Title Fight by End of November

The Africa Cup of Nations title still has no settled owner. Ten months after one of the most chaotic finals in the tournament's history, the Court of Arbitration for Sport is set to decide by the end of November whether the trophy belongs to Senegal, who won it on the pitch, or Morocco, who were handed it in a meeting room.

Senegal beat hosts Morocco 1-0 after extra time in the final in Rabat on January 18, 2026. Pape Gueye scored the winner in the 94th minute, a powerful strike from the edge of the area that gave Senegal their second AFCON title and their first ever goal in an AFCON final.

But the final is remembered as much for what happened before that goal as for the goal itself. With the score still 0-0 deep into stoppage time, Morocco were awarded a penalty after a video review of a challenge on Brahim Diaz. Senegal's players, furious at the decision, walked off the pitch in protest and the match stopped for around 15 minutes. They eventually returned, Diaz tried a Panenka from the spot and goalkeeper Edouard Mendy saved it, and minutes later Gueye settled the game.

Senegal celebrated a title won on the field. That celebration lasted less than two months.

On March 17, CAF's Appeal Board ruled that Senegal had forfeited the final by leaving the field, under Articles 82 and 84 of the competition regulations. The 1-0 result was wiped out and officially recorded as a 3-0 win for Morocco, making the hosts the champions on paper.

Senegal appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport on March 25, arguing that the referee's decisions are final and that he had allowed the match to continue to its conclusion. The case was heard behind closed doors in Lausanne on October 8, with a three-member panel chaired by French sports law expert Gerald Simon, alongside Italian professor Luigi Fumagalli and German lawyer Ulrich Haas.

CAS had first suggested a decision could come within days of the hearing. Instead, the court announced it will issue a complete ruling, known as a CAS Award, setting out its decision and the full legal reasoning behind it. That takes longer. The award is now expected at the end of November 2026.

Until then, Morocco remain the officially recognised champions, while Senegal wait to learn whether their victory on the pitch will be restored. Whatever CAS decides will be binding, and it will settle one of the biggest arguments African football has ever seen: does a title belong to the team that won the match, or to the team the rulebook favours?

For the players, the wait is the hardest part. Sadio Mane, who led Senegal through the tournament, may have played his last AFCON final that night in Rabat. Whether it ends as a triumph or a footnote now rests with three arbitrators in Switzerland.