CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2026 Qualifiers Kick Off

The road to Africa’s premier men’s five-a-side tournament officially begins after the draw for the TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2026 Qualifiers was held in Rabat, Morocco on Wednesday.

A total of 18 national teams will compete in the qualifying rounds, played over two home-and-away knockout stages. Seven teams will secure places in the final tournament alongside hosts and defending champions Morocco.

The teams competing in the qualifiers are Algeria, Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Philani Banda, president of Futsal Zimbabwe National League, expressed excitement at the opportunity. “We are happy that as Futsal Zimbabwe, it is for the first time that we have been granted permission to represent the country at a big stage. As we speak, we are busy preparing for our qualification campaign. It’s pleasing but also challenging. We will need to work hard and really compete. The first leg matches will be played on January 23, and the second leg on January 28,” Banda said.

The qualifiers are structured in two rounds. In the first round, eight lower-ranked teams compete, while ten higher-ranked teams receive byes to the second round. The four winners from the first round join the exempted teams to contest for seven final tournament spots. All matches are played over two legs, with aggregate scores deciding the winners.

Zimbabwe was drawn against Tanzania in the preliminary round. If successful, they will face Cote d’Ivoire in the next stage. The FIFA Futsal Men’s World Rankings determined seedings and exemptions for the draw. The eight lowest-ranked teams—Cameroon, Cape Verde, Kenya, Namibia, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe—were drawn in pairs to form the first-round fixtures.

The ten teams directly qualified for the second round are Algeria, Angola, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Libya, Ghana, Guinea, Mauritania, Mozambique, and Zambia. The four first-round winners will join them. Based on rankings, Egypt, Libya, Angola, and Cote d’Ivoire, the highest-ranked teams, will host the second leg when matched against first-round winners.

CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations 2026 Qualifiers draw in full:

Cape Verde v Senegal
Egypt v Namibia
Kenya v Libya
Cameroon v South Sudan
Angola v Zimbabwe
Tanzania v Cote d’Ivoire
Ghana v Zambia
Mauritania v Mozambique
Guinea v Algeria

The qualifiers set the stage for high-intensity competition, with Zimbabwe and other nations aiming to secure a place at Africa’s premier futsal tournament in Morocco 2026.