The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has dismissed the appeal filed by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF) regarding the final of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON). The final, played on January 18, 2026, in Rabat, saw Senegal defeat Morocco 1-0. The FRMF had contested the match's outcome, citing refereeing decisions.
In a statement released on March 17, 2026, CAS announced it had rejected the Moroccan federation's appeal in its entirety. The court found that the procedures for filing the appeal were not correctly followed within the required deadlines set by the Confederation of African Football (CAF) regulations.
The legal dispute centered on a specific incident during the match. The FRMF argued that a handball by a Senegalese player in the penalty area should have resulted in a penalty for Morocco. The match officials did not award the penalty, and the decision was not overturned by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system.
With the CAS ruling, Senegal's victory is definitively confirmed. The Teranga Lions are officially the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations champions, marking their second continental title. The case highlights the strict procedural requirements in international sports arbitration.
