Rédaction Africa Links 24 with ALM
Published on 2024-04-10 13:08:33
The curtain will be raised this Thursday in Rabat for the African Cup of Nations (CAN Morocco-2024) of futsal, promising sports enthusiasts a high-quality spectacle over the course of about ten days.
Following the 6th edition held in Laâyoune in 2020, the futsal CAN is being organized for the second consecutive time in Morocco, confirming the Kingdom’s reputation as an excellent host for sporting events.
Thanks to its many advantages in terms of international standard infrastructure and sports facilities, accommodation, and logistics, the Kingdom has become a preferred destination for hosting major continental and international sporting events, such as the futsal CAN, and is preparing to host the football CAN in 2025 and the World Cup in 2030 with Spain and Portugal.
During this 7th edition of the CAN, which promises to be exciting with highly contested matches, African futsal will take center stage in Rabat from April 11 to 21.
For this occasion, the Ibn Yassine arena and the Sports Palace of the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat have been renovated to host eight of the best African futsal teams competing for the coveted continental title.
As the two-time defending champions, the national team, which has shown outstanding form in recent years, stands out to shine once again in this competition and secure a third consecutive title on home soil and in front of their fans.
Egypt, the finalist in the last three editions and three-time champions, a record, will also be participating, along with Libya crowned in 2008.
Ghana, former finalist, Angola, third in 2020, Zambia, Namibia, and Mauritania will try to cause an upset.
In addition to the continental title, the other goal of this CAN is qualification for the next World Cup. The two finalist teams and the third-place team will earn their ticket to the World Cup scheduled from September 14 to October 6 in Uzbekistan.
In the last edition of the Futsal World Cup in 2021 in Lithuania, Africa was represented by Morocco, quarter-finalists, Egypt, and Angola.
The African Cup of Nations of futsal, previously known as the African Futsal Championship until 2015 and held every four years, is an opportunity to celebrate futsal, a sport that is currently experiencing a real surge in popularity.
Extremely entertaining and high-scoring, futsal, a form of indoor five-a-side football, now benefits from good media coverage and continues to attract more fans worldwide.
In Morocco, this sport continues to shine and gain more fans, with the national team’s achievements playing a significant role in the popularity of futsal in the country.
The development of a strong national team, ranked 8th globally, is not a coincidence but rather a result of the increased interest of several clubs in the sport, the enthusiasm of the Moroccan public, and substantial support from the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF).
The national team’s success has been accompanied by significant growth in the national championship, evolving from a two-pool championship to a professional league, thanks in part to the support of the FRMF providing optimal conditions for success.
Futsal in Morocco is also thriving due to high-level national technical coaching, ambitious clubs, talented players, and passionate supporters.
Read the original article(French) on Aujourdhui.ma
