The Malawi Beach Soccer National Team will open their 2026 CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) campaign against Morocco on Sunday, 29 November, as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has released the official match schedule for the tournament scheduled to take place in Senegal from 28 November to 6 December.
The Beach Soccer Hustlers, who are making their third consecutive appearance at the continental showpiece, have been drawn in Group B alongside Morocco, Mauritania and Angola. According to the schedule, Malawi will face Morocco in their opening match on 29 November at 16:30 before taking on 2024 runners-up Mauritania on Tuesday, 1 December, at 15:00.
The Hustlers will conclude their group stage campaign against Angola on Wednesday, 2 December, at 12:00. The tournament will feature eight teams divided into two groups of four, with hosts and defending champions Senegal placed in Group A alongside Ghana, Mozambique and Uganda.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals scheduled for 4 December, while the third and fourth-placed teams will compete in classification matches on the same day. The third-place playoff and final will take place on Sunday, 6 December, with the two finalists earning qualification to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Malawi will be looking to improve on their performances at the previous two editions, having made their debut in Mozambique in 2022 before participating in the 2024 tournament in Egypt. The Beach Soccer Hustlers qualified for this year’s competition after defeating Seychelles 16-3 on aggregate in the qualifiers.
Malawi registered a 6-2 victory in the first leg away before completing qualification with an emphatic 10-1 win in the return fixture at Salima Livingstonia Beach. Head coach Willy Kumilambe recently described Malawi’s group as fair, expressing confidence in his team’s ability to compete against some of Africa’s best beach soccer nations.
“It’s a good draw. We are talking about the best eight teams in Africa, so each group is comprised of very good teams. I’m comfortable with the group we are in, and I believe it’s a fair draw,” said Kumilambe.
The coach, however, emphasised the need for more international exposure for some of his less experienced players as the team prepares for the continental competition.
The Hustlers will now focus on their preparations ahead of their opening encounter against Morocco as they aim to make an impact at their third consecutive Beach Soccer AFCON appearance.
