The legal dispute over the CAN 2025 final will continue for several more weeks, with the Tribunal arbitral du sport (TAS) now expecting to issue its ruling at the end of November 2026.
The case concerns the challenge brought by the Federation senegalaise de football (FSF) against the Confederation africaine de football (CAF) and the Federation marocaine de football (FRMF).
In a statement on Monday, 19 October 2026, the TAS said the arbitration panel had started its deliberations and was still considering the case. No final decision has yet been reached over the CAN 2025 final between Senegal and Morocco.
The panel has opted to publish a complete decision, including the legal reasoning behind its conclusion, rather than release the outcome alone. The TAS said: “This process will take several weeks and the TAS award is expected at the end of November 2026.”
The hearing took place behind closed doors at the TAS headquarters on 8 October. That means the parties are likely to wait about seven weeks after the hearing before the outcome of the proceedings is known.
The timetable is longer than the initial indication given on the day of the hearing. Matthieu Reeb, the TAS director general, had said the organisation wanted to reach a decision quickly.
“Our objective is to issue a decision as soon as possible after the hearing,” he said. “But it could take a few days or several weeks if the arbitrators want to write a complete decision with the legal reasoning.”
As the panel has chosen to provide a fully reasoned award, the final ruling will not be delivered until late November.
The delay comes as speculation about the case has already spread, with false statements about the TAS decision repeatedly appearing on social media. The extended wait could lead to further rumours surrounding the outcome.
The TAS has therefore reminded the public that only information released through its official channels should be treated as genuine.
“Only information communicated through the TAS channels is considered official,” it said.
Any further announcement concerning the dispute will be published on the TAS website.
Until the end of November, Senegal, Morocco and the organisations involved will have to wait for the scheduled ruling, with no indication yet of what the decision will contain.