Casablanca – Morocco’s national beach soccer team booked their place at the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) after defeating Libya 7-1 on Sunday, October 18, at the Mohammed VI Football Complex in Salé.
The victory gave the Atlas Lions an 11-3 aggregate win in the final qualifying round, following their 4-2 success in the first leg in Benghazi on October 9.
Under Brazilian coach Marco Octavio, Morocco delivered another convincing performance, with Amine El Bidouri and Badr El Kraichly each scoring a hat-trick. Ayoub Hichou added the seventh goal to complete the victory.
El Bidouri and El Kraichly had also contributed to Morocco’s first-leg triumph, alongside Driss Ghannam and Reda Ezzahraoui.
Read also: Morocco to Face Niger in Casablanca and Rabat in AFCON 2027 Qualifiers
The two victories secured Morocco’s participation in the eight-team continental tournament, where they will join hosts Senegal and six other nations that advance through the qualifiers.
Morocco set sights on continental competition
The 2026 Beach Soccer AFCON will take place in Senegal between November 28 and December 6, following a change to the tournament’s original schedule.
The competition will also serve as a qualifying tournament for the 2027 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, giving Morocco an opportunity to pursue a place on the global stage.
The Atlas Lions will look to build on their performance at the previous edition in Egypt in 2024, where they finished third after defeating the hosts 4-3 in the bronze-medal match.
Senegal, meanwhile, will enter the tournament as defending champions after claiming their fifth consecutive African title in 2024.
With qualification secured, Octavio’s squad can now focus on preparing for the continental finals and improving on their third-place finish two years ago.
