AFCON 2025: CAS sets hearing for October 8, Senegal finally learns its decisive date

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has officially set October 8, 2026 as the date for the hearing dedicated to the appeal lodged by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the decision of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) to award the AFCON 2025 title to Morocco.

This announcement marks a major milestone in one of the most significant legal cases in the recent history of African football. After several months of waiting, the various parties now know the date on which they will present their arguments before the arbitration panel.

A closed-door hearing

In its official statement, the CAS specifies that the hearing will take place behind closed doors, at the request of the parties concerned. The arbitrators will hear successively from representatives of the FSF, CAF and the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, before withdrawing to deliberate.

It should be noted, however, that October 8 will not be the day of the verdict. This date corresponds solely to the hearing. Once proceedings have concluded, the arbitration panel will examine the entire case before issuing its decision on a date that remains, at this stage, undetermined.

Two possible outcomes at the end of the procedure

At the conclusion of the procedure, two outcomes are possible:

• The CAS upholds CAF's decision, officially maintaining Morocco as the winner of AFCON 2025.
• The CAS rules in favour of Senegal's appeal and annuls CAF's decision, which would represent a major upheaval in the history of the competition.

CAS urges vigilance in the face of rumours

As a large amount of unverified information has been circulating on social media for several months, the Court recalls that its official communications are published in English, French and Spanish only. Any purported decision circulated before the official verdict or in another language should be treated with the utmost caution.

The countdown has now begun. On October 8, the eyes of African football will turn to Lausanne, where a hearing will open whose outcome could definitively write the final chapter of the highly controversial AFCON 2025.