Commercial and sports arbitration
The Court of Arbitration for Sport explained
Short answer
- Rules in force
- Code: Procedural Rules, 2025 edition, in force from 1 July 2025 1
- Default appeal deadline
- 21 days from receipt of the decision appealed against 1
- Court Office fee
- CHF 1,000, non-refundable 1
- CAS procedures registered, 2025
- 1,001 2
- Appeal arbitrations, 2025
- 721 2
- Arbitrators on the CAS list
- More than 450, from almost 100 countries 2
What CAS is
Under Rule R28, the seat of CAS and of each Panel is Lausanne, Switzerland 1. The International Council of Arbitration for Sport (ICAS) publishes its annual report and financial statements 2,3. Cases follow the CAS Code. The 2025 edition applies to procedures started on or after 1 July 2025 1.
CAS keeps a list of more than 450 arbitrators and 50 mediators from almost 100 countries 2.
Appeal, ordinary and anti-doping procedures
- Appeal arbitration: a party challenges a decision of a federation, association or sports-related body. Rule R47 sets the conditions for filing 1.
- Ordinary arbitration: the other main arbitration track in the ICAS figures, with 239 procedures registered in 2025 2.
- Anti-Doping Division (ADD): created in 2019, it rules at first instance on whether a doping offence was committed and on any sanction.
- Ad hoc divisions: set up for specific events. In 2025 there were three, for the FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA Women's Euro and the Asian Winter Games in Harbin. None registered a procedure 2.
Time limits and how an appeal is decided
Rule R49 states that "the time limit for appeal shall be twenty-one days from the receipt of the decision appealed against". This default applies where the federation's own statutes or regulations set no other limit 1.
Under Rule R57 the Panel "has full power to review the facts and the law" 1.
Rule R59 provides that the operative part of the award is communicated to the parties within a maximum of four months after the Panel closes the evidentiary proceedings. CAS makes public the award, a summary or a press release on the results. They stay confidential only if both parties agree to that 1.
Fees and who pays
A party filing a case pays a non-refundable Court Office fee of CHF 1,000. CAS does not proceed without it (Rule R64.1) 1.
Appeals against disciplinary decisions of international federations are free of arbitration costs under Rule R65.2, apart from the CHF 1,000 fee 1. In other cases the Panel decides which party bears the arbitration costs (Rule R64.5) 1.
The ICAS Athletes' Commission issued 102 legal aid orders in 2025. It granted or partly granted 58 requests, 49 of them under the Football Legal Aid Fund, and rejected 44 2.
CAS caseload in 2025
Review by the Swiss Federal Tribunal
A CAS award can be challenged before the Swiss Federal Tribunal (SFT). In 2025, 29 appeals and one request for review were filed against CAS awards 2.
The ICAS report records the results as 22 dismissed, 2 withdrawn, 5 upheld (including the request for review) and 1 still pending 2.
Common questions
How long do I have to appeal to CAS?
The default is 21 days from receipt of the decision, where the federation's rules set no other time limit 1.
How much does it cost to file at CAS?
The Court Office fee is CHF 1,000 and is not refundable. Appeals against disciplinary decisions of international federations are otherwise free 1.
Are CAS awards public?
Under Rule R59, CAS makes public the award, a summary or a press release on the results of an appeal. They stay confidential only if both parties agree 1.
How many cases does CAS hear?
CAS registered 1,001 procedures in 2025, including 721 appeals and 239 ordinary arbitrations 2.
Can a CAS award be overturned?
A party can challenge it before the Swiss Federal Tribunal. In 2025 the SFT upheld 5 of the 30 challenges filed and dismissed 22 2.
Rules and charges change. Check the official source linked on this page before you pay or travel. Spotted an error? Email hello@arbitrationawardsdata.com.
Sources
Related
- What an arbitration award means
An arbitration award is a tribunal's written decision on a dispute. What it must contain, the main types, and what it is not.
- Set-aside and annulment compared
Setting aside is a court challenge at the seat. ICSID annulment is an internal review by an ad hoc committee. Grounds, time limits and effects compared.
- ICC arbitration explained
How arbitration under the 2026 ICC Rules works, what the ICC Court does, the main stages and fees, what changed from 2021, and 2025 caseload figures.
- Arbitration costs and who pays
Official fees at the ICC, ICSID and CAS, how cost advances are split, how tribunals allocate costs, and the LCIA's published median cost.
- How long arbitration takes
Time limits in the ICC, CAS and ICSID rules, the LCIA's published median duration, and the dated stages of one ICSID case record.