Assahafa.com
The Confederation of African Football (CAF) will today conduct the official draw for the CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) Morocco 2026 Qualifiers in Rabat, officially launching the qualification campaign for Africa’s premier men’s futsal competition. The draw will be streamed live on CAF TV at 1 p.m. local time.
A total of 17 national teams will contest qualification through two home-and-away knockout rounds, with seven teams advancing to the final tournament, where they will join hosts and defending champions Morocco.
Morocco enter the 2026 tournament as the reigning CAF Futsal AFCON champions, having won the 2024 edition with a commanding 5–1 victory over Angola in the final, held in Rabat.
That triumph completed a historic three-peat for the Atlas Lions, reinforcing their status as a major force in African futsal. This ties them with Egypt for the most CAF Futsal AFCON titles in history, at three each.
Morocco’s title wins include:
- 2016: First title, defeating Egypt 3–2 in the final in South Africa
- 2020: Second consecutive title, a 5–0 win over Egypt on home soil in Laayoune
- 2024: Third straight title, beating Angola 5–1 in Rabat
Their sustained success has also translated to the global stage, with regular qualification for the FIFA Futsal World Cup and quarter-final appearances in both 2021 and 2024, showing their rise among the world’s elite futsal nations.
The national teams competing in the qualification process are Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Qualification Format
The qualifiers will be contested over two knockout rounds, with all ties played over two legs.
First Round
Six teams, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Kenya, South Sudan, Zimbabwe and Namibia, will be drawn into three pairings from a single pot. The team drawn first will host the opening leg, with the return fixture played away. The three aggregate winners will progress to the second round.
Second Round
Eleven teams receive direct entry to this stage: Algeria, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, joined by the three First Round winners.
CAF has used the FIFA Futsal Men’s World Ranking to determine seedings and draw exemptions.
The three highest-ranked teams — Egypt, Libya and Angola — will be drawn to face the First Round winners, with the higher-ranked team hosting the second leg.
The remaining teams are split into two pots:
- Pot 2 (Higher-ranked): Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Zambia, Algeria
- Pot 3: Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Tanzania
Each Pot 2 team will be paired with a Pot 3 team, with the higher-ranked nation hosting the return leg.
At the end of the second round, the seven aggregate winners will qualify for the CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026, joining hosts and defending champions Morocco at the continental finals.
Source: Morocco word news
