The stage is set for the journey to the continent's premier indoor football championship. The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has officially announced that the draw ceremony for the 2026 CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers will be held today in Rabat, Morocco.
The Road to the Finals: Qualification Format
National teams dreaming of continental glory will face a challenging path. The qualification process will be conducted over two home-and-away knockout rounds. This intense format means there is little room for error, as each match becomes crucial. From this process, seven teams will ultimately earn their ticket to the final tournament.
These seven successful qualifiers will then join the host nation, Morocco, at the main event. This brings the total number of participants in the final competition to eight nations, all competing for the African futsal crown.
Nations in Contention for Glory
A total of 17 countries have entered the fray and will be part of today's draw in Rabat. The nations hoping to secure one of the seven coveted spots are:
- Algeria
- Angola
- Cameroon
- Cape Verde
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Egypt
- Libya
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Kenya
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
More Than Just a Continental Title at Stake
The upcoming 2026 CAF Futsal AFCON tournament carries significance far beyond the African championship. The final competition will also serve as Africa's qualifying tournament for the 2026 FIFA Futsal World Cup. This means the battle in Morocco will determine which African nations get to represent the continent on the global futsal stage.
The host nation, Morocco, enters this cycle as the undisputed powerhouse of African futsal. Morocco have hosted and won the last two editions of the men’s Futsal AFCON. Their dominance was clear in Laayoune in 2020, where they clinched the title with a resounding 5–0 victory over Egypt in the final. They successfully defended their crown on home soil in Rabat in 2024, overpowering Angola 5–1 to lift the trophy once again.
Today's draw in Rabat marks the first critical step on the path to discovering which nations will challenge Morocco's reign and earn a shot at World Cup qualification.
