The 2024 Futsal Africa Cup of Nations wrapped up in Rabat this past weekend, with host nation Morocco claiming a record-equalling third continental title in emphatic style.
The Atlas Lions will be joined at the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup in Uzbekistan by fellow African representatives Libya and Angola.
Morocco cruised through the group stage with 5-2, 8-3 and 13-0 wins over Angola, Ghana and Zambia respectively, before blitzing Libya 6-0 in the semifinal and then trumping Angola 5-1 in the final.
We have confirmed that we have the quality to perform and we have raised our game due to the giant strides taken by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation and we will be the ambassadors of the continent in the next FIFA Futsal World Cup, said Morocco coach Hicham Dguig.
Egypt, three-time Futsal AFCON champions, topped the other group ahead of Libya, Mauritania and Namibia, but suffered a surprise 7-3 loss to Angola in the semis and then missed out on the World Cup entirely when they went down on penalties (after a tense 2-2 draw) against Libya only the top three teams earned a ticket to Uzbekistan.
Moroccos Soufian Charraoui was the co-top scorer at the tournament with seven goals, alongside the Angolan duo of Chico and Helber, though Bilal Bakkali and Soufiane El Mesrar scored six apiece to allow the Atlas Lions to boast three of the top six marksmen.
The question now is how will the African teams fare at the World Cup, which is set to be held from mid-September to early October this year?
Historically, teams from the CAF region have made little impact at the global tournament. Egypt reached the second group stage (final eight) in 2000 and the quarterfinals in 2016, while Morocco also topped out at the quarters in the last World Cup in 2021.
Brazil have traditionally dominated the tournament (winning five titles: 1989, 1992, 1996, 2008 2012), though Argentina (2016) and Portugal (2021) have claimed the last two editions, and Spain boast a pair of titles (2000 2004).
The 24-team field has not been finalised yet, with four outstanding slots set to be decided by the ongoing Futsal Asian Cup.
For now, the pots for the draw which will be held in late May have hosts Uzbekistan alongside the four former World Cup champions and the TBD winners of the Asian continental tournament in Pot 1; Pot 2 features Morocco, Paraguay, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Panama and a TBD Asian team; Costa Rica, Guatemala, Venezuela, New Zealand, Cuba and a TBD Asian team make up Pot 3; and Pot 4 is comprised of Libya, Angola, Croatia, France, Netherlands and the final TBD Asian team.
Given that Morocco are listed eighth in the latest Futsal world rankings, another quarterfinal showing should be the minimum that Hicham Dguig and his team aim for in Uzbekistan, but they will surely be inspired by the full Moroccan national teams showing at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, when they shattered the glass ceiling and reached the semifinals.
Matching the feat of Walid Regraguis team will be no easy task, but Morocco has been the most progressive and forward-thinking football nation on the African continent for the past five years, so dont be surprised if more success is on its way.
