Morocco are to make their debut at the COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship, bringing with them some north African flair and a stellar reputation for their exploits on the sand.
Morocco have been regulars at the Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, appearing in nine previous editions, missing only two, with three bronze medals to their name.
They finished third in 2013, beating Nigeria 7-2 in the bronze-medal match, before back-to-back bronze medals in 2021 and 2022. They beat Uganda (5-3) and COSAFA side Mozambique (6-4) respectively to take third.
They will be hoping to turn those bronzes into gold in Durban and will be confident of doing so as the top seeds in Group B.
Morocco are 15th in the latest FIFA Beach Soccer World Rankings, and second only to Senegal (ninth) on the African continent. That may make them the team to beat at the COSAFA championships.
They have yet to reach the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup but will definitely have the 2025 edition to be staged in Seychelles in their sights, hoping to be among the two African qualifiers from the event to join the Indian Ocean hosts.
Morocco appointed former Senegal coach Oumar Sylla to lead the national side in 2022 and in January they finished second at the 2024 Tournoi du Maranhao, behind only recently crowned world champions Brazil.
They may also be out for some more revenge against Mozambique in the pool stages – the COSAFA side beat Morocco 2-1 at the 2021 Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations, though both sides advanced from the pool.
MOROCCO AT THE BEACH AFCON
APP MP W L GF GA
9 38 20 18 163 143
Finishes
2006 – Sixth
2009 – Group Stages
2011 – Group Stages
2013 – Third
2015 – Fifth
2016 – Fourth
2018 – Fourth
2021 – Third
2022 – Third
