The 2026 TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations begins in Rabat, Morocco, on Monday, with eight countries vying for continental honours in a tournament scheduled to run until October 21.
The Confederation of African Football confirmed that Libya and Zambia will face off in the opening match at the Moulay Abdellah Sports Hall.
The participating nations are Morocco, Libya, Zambia, Algeria, Egypt, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania, divided into two groups. Hosts Morocco, Libya, Zambia and Algeria make up Group A, while Egypt, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania are in Group B.
Libya will seek another strong campaign after finishing third in the 2024 edition, where they defeated Egypt on penalties. The 2008 champions will be under new coach Pereira da Silva, who replaces Ricardo Inuguez.
The former Al-Ittihad and Misrata manager will be hoping to lead the Mediterranean Knights to victory in their opening encounter against Zambia.
Zambia, meanwhile, will be guided by Andrea Cristoforetti, who returns for his second consecutive Futsal Africa Cup of Nations after leading the team at the 2024 tournament in Rabat.
Cristoforetti said two friendly matches against Egypt had helped his players assess their readiness ahead of the competition.
“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 coach added that the experience gained since the previous edition could help Zambia deliver a stronger 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.
While Libya aim to build on their previous podium finish, Zambia will seek to demonstrate their progress against established African opposition as the battle for the title gets underway.
