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AFCON 2025 scandal: When will the real champions of Africa be determined?
24 Jul 2026 15:25 BST |
5 min read
Analysis
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has finally scheduled a hearing to decide whether Morocco or Senegal are the real winners of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
On 18 January, 2026, one of the most dramatic and bizarre moments in football history transpired when Senegal players protested against Morocco receiving a stoppage-time penalty by walking off the pitch in the final of AFCON 2025.
The players eventually returned, and Brahim Diaz, infamously, saw his panenka penalty saved by Edouard Mendy, which allowed Senegal to win the game in extra time. However, their decision to leave the pitch would have major consequences.
On March 17, two months after the final, the Confederation Africaine de Football (CAF) shockingly announced that the title had been retroactively awarded to Morocco because the Senegal players were "declared to have forfeited" the match.
The decision sparked major outrage and ridicule. Senegal, who are still in possession of the trophy, appealed CAF's ruling and took the matter to CAS in order to get a definitive ruling on the tournament's real champions.
CAS hearing scheduled
Now, four months later, CAS has announced that a hearing for the appeal has been scheduled. However, it will not take place until 8 October 2026 because the relevant parties "did not agree to expedite this procedure." A final verdict will then be made at a later date.
The court's statement read: "The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) confirms a hearing has been scheduled for the procedure between the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF, in French) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF, in French) ('The Parties') concerning the final of the Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2025 (AFCON 2025).
"The hearing will take place on 8 October 2026, at CAS headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Registered by CAS on 25 March 2026, the FSF appeal seeks to set aside a CAF decision declaring that the Senegal national team forfeited the AFCON 2025 final and recording the Moroccan national team as the winners of the match by 3-0.
"The appeal requests that CAS declare the FSF winners of AFCON 2025. The Parties did not agree to expedite this procedure, which is therefore following a standard timeline according to CAS procedural rules. The hearing date was decided after consultation with the Parties, who also did not request that it be made public.
"This means it will take place behind closed doors. After the hearing, the Panel will start its deliberations. At this stage, CAS cannot state when a final decision will be rendered, but it will not be on the day of the hearing.
"CAS is aware of incorrect information circulating online about this procedure and subsequently being reported. Only information provided through CAS channels is considered official, and any announcement concerning this case will be published on the CAS website. Questions from accredited journalists can be directed to the CAS media office."
What happened in the AFCON 2025 final?
As alluded to above, the reason for this legal battle is Senegal's decision to leave the pitch in the 102nd minute (of regular time) after Morocco were awarded a contentious penalty.
The score was 0-0 at the time of the incident because 10 minutes earlier, Senegal had a goal that would likely have been the winner controversially ruled out.
Ismaila Sarr had put the ball in the back of the net in the 93rd minute, but referee Jean-Jacques Ndala disallowed the goal for what he had perceived as a foul in the build-up.
Because the official blew the whistle before the ball went in the goal, the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) was not able to intervene and overturn the decision. Senegal felt hard done by, and things came to a head when the VAR handed Morocco a penalty in the 97th minute.
After various scuffles and heated discussions - and riot police having to prevent Senegal fans from invading the pitch - head coach Pape Thiaw instructed his players to leave the field in protest in the 102nd minute.
Not all of them followed his example, with captain Sadio Mane trying to convince his teammates to continue the match. He eventually succeeded and, in the 114th minute, the aforementioned Diaz was able to step up and take the penalty.
However, he attempted a panenka and saw his effort saved, thus the score remained 0-0. After a whopping 24 minutes of injury time, the game went to extra time, where Pape Gueye opened the scoring with a fantastic strike after just four minutes.
Morocco hit the bar in the 108th minute, but they were unable to find the back of the net. The Lions of Teranga held on to their slender lead. After a spectacle of more than two hours, Senegal claimed their second AFCON title - until they had it stripped from them in March.
