CAF has confirmed that the draw for the 2026 Futsal Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers will take place on Wednesday, January 8, 2026, in Rabat, Morocco, setting the stage for a high-stakes qualification campaign ahead of the continental showpiece.
The qualification process will be played across two knockout rounds, with ties decided over home-and-away legs. At the end of the process, seven teams will qualify for the final tournament, where they will join host nation Morocco, who have already secured automatic qualification.
A total of 17 countries will be involved in the qualifiers. They are Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. With only seven slots available, competition is expected to be intense, as nearly every tie could determine a nation’s continental and global ambitions.
Beyond the continental title, the 2026 Futsal AFCON carries global significance, as it will also serve as Africa’s qualification route to the 2026 FIFA Futsal World Cup. This added incentive raises the stakes, pushing teams not just to aim for continental glory but also for a place on the world stage.
Morocco head into the tournament as the dominant force in African futsal. The North Africans have won the last two editions of the competition and did so convincingly. In 2020, hosted in Laayoune, Morocco defeated Egypt 5–0 in the final, underlining their technical and tactical superiority. They followed that up in 2024, once again on home soil in Rabat, with a 5–1 victory over Angola, sealing back-to-back titles and cementing their status as Africa’s futsal benchmark.
As hosts, Morocco will be watching the qualifiers closely, knowing the challengers emerging from the knockout rounds will be desperate to end their reign. The format, however, offers no room for recovery. Unlike group stages, the knockout system punishes inconsistency, with a single poor leg capable of ending a nation’s campaign.
For countries like Ghana, the qualifiers represent a major opportunity. Ghana’s inclusion among the competing nations keeps West Africa strongly represented and offers the chance to return to the continental spotlight in futsal. The draw in Rabat will be crucial, determining match-ups that could either open a realistic path to qualification or present an immediate uphill battle.
Traditional futsal nations such as Egypt, Angola, Algeria and Libya are expected to be among the strongest contenders, while emerging sides like Namibia, South Sudan and Tanzania will be aiming to make history by reaching the finals for the first time. Home advantage, travel logistics, and squad depth are likely to play decisive roles across the two-legged ties.
CAF’s decision to stage the draw in Rabat reflects Morocco’s growing influence in African futsal. The country’s investment in facilities, coaching and competition hosting has turned it into a regional hub for the indoor game, helping drive futsal’s steady growth across the continent.
With the draw set and the pathway to both continental glory and World Cup qualification on the line, African futsal now shifts into competitive mode. January 8 will mark the beginning of a qualification journey where every goal, every leg, and every mistake could define a nation’s future.
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