The 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Rabat, Morocco, on Monday, with eight nations competing for the continental title in a tournament running until October 21.
According to the Confederation of African Football on Monday, Libya and Zambia will play the opening match at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Hall as the competition gets underway.
The eight participating nations are hosts Morocco, Libya, Zambia, Algeria, Egypt, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania.
The teams are divided into two groups, with Morocco, Libya, Zambia and Algeria in Group A, while Group B comprises Egypt, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania.
Libya enter the competition seeking to build on their third-place finish at the 2024 edition, when they defeated Egypt on penalties. The 2008 champions will be led by new head coach Pereira da Silva, who took over from Ricardo Inuguez.
The former Al-Ittihad and Misrata coach will hope to guide the Mediterranean Knights to a strong start against Zambia.
Zambia, meanwhile, will be coached by Andrea Cristoforetti, who is taking charge at his second consecutive CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations after leading the team at the 2024 finals in Rabat.
Cristoforetti said his side had benefited from preparations that included two friendly matches against Egypt, which helped them assess 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, 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 expressed confidence that the experience gained by his players since the previous edition would help them improve their performance.
“The preparation went pretty well. We have some of the 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, in trying again to fill that gap, 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 will aim to build on their previous podium finish, while Zambia will look to measure their progress against one of Africa’s established futsal sides as the race for the continental title begins.