Angola fall short as Morocco claim fourth Futsal AFCON crown
Angola’s hopes of a maiden TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations title were dashed as they suffered a 5-2 defeat to hosts Morocco in Wednesday’s final in Rabat, finishing runners-up for the second successive tournament.
The Palancas Negras put up a spirited fight against the defending champions, becoming the only side to score against Morocco at the 2026 finals, but ultimately could not match the attacking firepower of their North African opponents.
It was a repeat of the 2024 final, which Morocco also won, as the hosts claimed a record fourth consecutive continental crown, adding to their triumphs in 2016, 2020 and 2024.
Angola held their own in the opening stages before Morocco broke the deadlock in the 17th minute through Othmane Elidrissi, who finished from a tight angle.
However, Angola responded immediately as João Cambangula equalised a minute later, becoming the first player to breach Morocco’s defence in the competition.
Their joy was short-lived as Youssef Jouad restored Morocco’s advantage in the 19th minute to give the hosts a 2-1 lead at halftime.
The Atlas Lions extended their advantage through Raiss El Fenni in the 21st minute before further goals from Ismail Amazal (33rd minute) and Bilal Bakkali (35th) put the contest beyond Angola’s reach.
Anderson Fortes pulled a goal back for the Southern Africans three minutes from time, but it was too little, too late.
Despite the disappointment, Angola can reflect on another excellent tournament in which they underlined their status as one of the continent’s leading futsal nations.
They opened their Group B campaign with a 5-1 victory over Southern African neighbours Mozambique before sweeping aside Tanzania 6-0.
Angola then showed their resilience by coming from two goals down to defeat traditional continental powerhouses Egypt 4-2 and secure top spot in their pool.
They produced another remarkable comeback in the semi-finals against Algeria, recovering from a 2-0 halftime deficit to win 3-2, with Francisco Gabriel Chico scoring the decisive goal two minutes from time.
Angola finished the tournament with four victories from five matches, scoring 20 goals, but will have to wait for another opportunity to claim their first continental crown.
Egypt took the bronze medal following an emphatic 8-1 victory over tournament debutants Algeria in Wednesday’s third-place play-off.
