By Boris Esono Nwenfor
BUEA, PAV – The road to the 2026 CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in Senegal has been mapped out, with 16 countries drawn into two rounds of home-and-away qualifiers for seven places at the continental tournament.
The draw was held on Tuesday at the headquarters of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) in Cairo, Egypt. Senegal, the hosts and reigning champions, have already qualified for the tournament, which will take place from 7 to 15 November 2026.
The remaining seven places will be decided through two rounds of qualifying ties, with the first round involving four teams and the second round featuring 14 sides. Mauritius will host Angola in the opening first-round tie, while Kenya will face Libya.
The first legs are scheduled to take place between 18 and 20 September, with the return matches set for 25 to 27 September. The team drawn first in each tie will host the opening leg.
The winners of the two first-round ties will advance to the second round, where they will join 12 teams that received byes. The winner of the Mauritius-Angola match will meet Egypt, while the victor between Kenya and Libya will face Morocco.
The second round has also produced a number of potentially decisive encounters. Nigeria will face fellow West African side Ghana in one of the most eye-catching ties, while Côte d’Ivoire will take on Mauritania.
Tanzania will meet Mozambique in an east-versus-southern Africa contest, while Seychelles face Malawi. Burundi have been drawn against Uganda in another regional battle.
The second-round first legs will be played from 9 to 11 October, with the return fixtures scheduled for 16 to 18 October. The seven second-round winners will join hosts Senegal at the eight-team finals in November.
The winners will join Senegal for the eight-nation CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations, where the continent’s leading beach soccer teams will compete for the African title.
