Afcon 2025 title in limbo as CAF hands final say to sports court CAS

African football’s top competition has been left without an officially confirmed champion, after CAF president Patrice Motsepe said the Confederation of African Football cannot decide the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title and will instead abide entirely by a ruling from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Speaking at a news conference in Johannesburg on Wednesday, Motsepe underlined that CAF’s role is now limited to implementing whatever verdict CAS delivers on the disputed final.

CAF’s appeals committee had in March awarded Morocco a 3-0 win over Senegal by default, after ruling that Senegal’s players had effectively withdrawn from the match in extra time in protest at a penalty decision. The Senegalese Football Federation has challenged that ruling at CAS.

“We are waiting for the final decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport ‘CAS’ regarding the winner of the Africa Cup of Nations title. There is nothing in our hands to do, we are waiting for the decisions and we will apply them to everyone,” Motsepe said.

CAF steps back as title dispute escalates

Motsepe made clear that CAF would not take any further action or make any independent declaration on the 2025 champions until the sports court in Switzerland issues its judgment.

He told reporters that CAF is “waiting for the final decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport ‘CAS’ regarding the identity of the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations”, stressing that the process has now moved beyond the organisation’s internal structures.

The comments highlight the unprecedented nature of the dispute, which has left the continent’s flagship tournament with a contested outcome months after the final was played.

How the Afcon 2025 controversy unfolded

The row stems from a dramatic extra-time incident in the final, when Senegal’s players – the Teranga Lions – left the pitch temporarily to protest against a penalty awarded to Morocco.

CAF’s appeals body later ruled that the walk-off amounted to a withdrawal, overturning an earlier first-instance decision and awarding Morocco a 3-0 victory by default. That decision effectively handed the Atlas Lions the Afcon 2025 crown on a technical basis rather than on goals scored on the field of play.

Senegal’s federation rejected the ruling as unfair and promptly lodged an appeal with CAS, arguing that the players’ brief departure was a protest rather than a formal refusal to continue the match.

CAS now holds fate of Afcon crown

The case before CAS will determine whether Morocco keep the title by default or whether the result – and potentially the match itself – must be reconsidered.

Motsepe stressed that CAF has no authority to pre-empt the verdict.

“CAF” he said, is simply “waiting for the final decision from the Court of Arbitration for Sport ‘CAS’ regarding the identity of the champion of the Africa Cup of Nations,” adding that the governing body “does not have anything in its hands to do” before that judgment.

African game watches and waits

The wider African football community is closely following the case, aware that CAS’s ruling could set an important precedent for how on-field protests and temporary withdrawals are treated in future competitions.

Until the sports court rules, the status of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title remains in doubt, with both Morocco and Senegal waiting to learn who will be officially recognised as champions of Africa.