The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has confirmed that the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has filed an appeal to overturn the decision awarding Morocco the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title.

According to CAS, the appeal, registered on March 25, 2026, seeks to nullify the ruling by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and have Senegal declared champions.

The dispute arises from the AFCON final in January, where Senegal initially secured a 1-0 victory over Morocco. However, CAF later overturned the result after Senegal’s players walked off the pitch in protest against a stoppage-time penalty awarded to Morocco.

Although the players returned after a 17-minute delay and Morocco’s Brahim Diaz missed the penalty, Senegal’s Pape Gueye went on to score what appeared to be the decisive goal in extra time.

On March 17, the CAF Appeals Board ruled that Senegal violated Articles 82 and 84 of AFCON regulations by leaving the pitch without authorization, awarding the match to Morocco by a 3-0 forfeit.

CAS confirmed that the FSF is seeking to reverse that verdict and reinstate the Teranga Lions as African champions. The federation has also requested a suspension of the deadline for submitting its full appeal brief until CAF provides detailed grounds for its decision.

“A CAS Arbitral Panel will be appointed to consider this matter… In accordance with CAS procedural rules, an Appellant has twenty days to file an appeal brief, and the Respondents then have a further twenty days to submit a defence,” the court stated.

CAS added that it is too early to determine a timeline for the hearing but assured that proceedings would be handled as swiftly as possible while ensuring fairness to all parties.

The Senegalese government has also called for an independent international investigation into alleged irregularities, describing CAF’s decision as “manifestly erroneous” and “deeply unjust.”

Earlier, the FSF condemned the ruling as “an unfair, unprecedented and unacceptable decision,” arguing that it undermines trust and credibility in African football.

The case now moves to CAS, where a final verdict will determine the official winner of the 2025 AFCON tournament.