Casablanca – Morocco’s national futsal team entered the final phase of its preparations on Tuesday, less than a week before the 2026 Futsal Africa Cup of Nations begins in Rabat.
Hicham Dguig’s squad trained at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé on October 6, with all called-up players involved in the session. Reserve players Soufiane Chaaraoui and Abdelhafid Boukhriss also took part.
The coaching staff used the session to work on technical and physical aspects of the team’s game, with particular attention paid to cohesion before Morocco begins its title defense.
The Atlas Lions will open their campaign against Algeria on Monday, October 12, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Hall in Rabat. Zambia follow two days later before Morocco closes the group stage against Libya on October 16.
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The four teams make up Group A, while Egypt, Angola, Mozambique and Tanzania will compete in Group B. Eight nations are taking part in the tournament, which runs from October 12 to 21.
Morocco enter the competition with an opportunity to move clear at the top of the tournament’s all-time standings.
The Atlas Lions have won each of the past three editions, beginning with their first continental title in 2016 before retaining the trophy in 2020 and again in 2024. Their latest triumph came with a 5-1 victory over Angola in the final in Rabat.
That third crown moved Morocco level with Egypt on three Futsal AFCON titles. A successful defense this month would therefore give Dguig’s team a fourth consecutive championship and make Morocco the competition’s outright record holder.
The national team’s progress has also extended beyond Africa. Morocco reached the quarterfinals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup in both 2021 and 2024, their best finishes at the global tournament.
Dguig, who has led the national team since 2010, has overseen all three of Morocco’s continental titles and remains at the center of the team’s rise into one of Africa’s leading futsal sides.
With the competitive schedule now only days away, Morocco’s remaining sessions will focus on sharpening the squad before an opening fixture against Algeria that immediately puts the hosts’ title defense into motion.
