Futsal AFCON 2026 Starts in Morocco

The 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Rabat, Morocco, on Monday. Eight nations are competing for the continental title in a tournament that runs until October 21.

The Confederation of African Football announced on Monday that Libya and Zambia will play the opening match at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Hall. This marks the start of the competition.

The eight nations taking part are Morocco, Libya, Zambia, Algeria, Egypt, Angola, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

The teams are split into two groups. Group A includes Morocco, Libya, Zambia, and Algeria. Group B has Egypt, Angola, Mozambique, and Tanzania.

Libya is looking to build on their third-place finish at the 2024 edition. They won that match against Egypt on penalties. The 2008 champions will be led by new coach Pereira da Silva, who replaced Ricardo Inuguez.

Pereira da Silva, who has coached Al-Ittihad and Misrata, hopes to guide the Mediterranean Knights to a strong start against Zambia.

Zambia is coached by Andrea Cristoforetti. This is his second consecutive CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations after leading the team at the 2024 finals in Rabat.

Cristoforetti stated that his team benefited from preparations that included two friendly matches against Egypt. These matches helped them check their readiness for the tournament.

"We had two friendly games against Egypt, which gave us a good indication of our level, more or less. I can tell from my experience of many years, from when I was a player, that Libya has always been a team that plays in the World Cup, giving problems with a structured, solid game of futsal," Cristoforetti said, according to CAF.

"We are truly curious to see where we stand against these two North African teams. This is our situation."

The Zambian coach also shared his confidence in the experience gained by his players since the last edition. He believes this will help them perform better.

"The preparation went pretty well. We have some players, like our captain, with experience now, and we know what to expect in a competition like this.

"So, I think we will be a little more ready than last time, trying again to fill that huge gap we had against more experienced teams. As Zambia has been growing throughout these four years, I think this will be one more step in that growth," he said.

Libya aims to build on their previous podium finish. Zambia looks to measure their progress against one of Africa's established futsal sides as the race for the continental title begins.