The Senegalese Football Federation (FSF) has announced it will file an appeal with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) to challenge the Confederation of African Football's (CAF) decision to award the hosting rights for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) to Morocco. The FSF confirmed the move on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, following an earlier CAF executive committee announcement.
CAF officially designated Morocco as the host for the 2025 tournament after the original host nation, Guinea, was stripped of its rights due to infrastructure delays. The decision was made following an evaluation of bids, with Morocco being the sole candidate to present a complete dossier meeting CAF's requirements.
The Senegalese federation has expressed strong disagreement with the process, arguing that the selection criteria and timeline were not transparent or equitable. Senegal, which had also expressed interest in hosting the tournament, contends that the procedure did not allow for a fair competitive bidding process.
The appeal to CAS, sport's highest legal authority, seeks an independent review of CAF's awarding process. The outcome of this arbitration could potentially reopen the hosting decision for the continental championship, though CAS proceedings typically take several months.
