The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is not expected to deliver its ruling on the dispute surrounding the CAN 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco until the end of November 2026.
The case was brought by the Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) against the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and the Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF). On Monday, 19 October 2026, the CAS confirmed that its panel of arbitrators had begun deliberations but had not yet reached a final decision.
In a statement, the tribunal said: “The arbitration panel has begun its deliberations and is currently continuing them.”
The panel has chosen to issue a full award, including the legal reasons behind its decision, rather than publish the outcome alone. That process means the ruling will take several weeks, with the CAS saying its decision is “expected at the end of November 2026”.
The hearing took place behind closed doors at the CAS headquarters on 8 October. The timetable means the parties involved are likely to wait around seven weeks after the hearing before the outcome is known.
That delay is longer than the initial expectation given on the day of the hearing by CAS director general Matthieu Reeb. He had said the organisation hoped to reach a decision quickly, although he warned that the process could take longer if the arbitrators decided to provide a full explanation.
“Our objective is to issue a decision as quickly as possible after the hearing,” Reeb said. “But it should take a few days or perhaps a few weeks if the arbitrators want to draft a complete decision with the legal reasons.”
With the panel opting for a fully reasoned ruling, the case will now continue until at least the end of November.
The announcement comes as speculation about the outcome has intensified. False statements concerning the case have repeatedly appeared on social media, and the extended timetable could lead to further rumours before the official ruling is released.
The CAS issued a reminder that “only information communicated through the CAS channels is considered official”. Any further announcement about the dispute will be published on the organisation’s website.
Senegal, Morocco, CAF and the two federations must therefore wait for the decision without any indication yet of which way the ruling will go.
