Senegal will host the 2026 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations from 28 November to 6 December, with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) confirming the revised dates for the tournament.
The decision was taken during a virtual meeting of the CAF Executive Committee chaired by president Patrice Motsepe on Friday, 2 October 2026.
The tournament had originally been scheduled for an earlier November window but was moved because Senegal is hosting the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games from 31 October to 13 November.
As defending champions and hosts, Senegal have automatically secured their place in the eight-team competition and will attempt to extend their remarkable record by winning the title for a sixth consecutive time.
The tournament will carry added significance beyond the continental championship, as it will also determine Africa’s representatives at the 2027 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
The two teams that reach the final in Senegal will earn the continent’s two available places at the global tournament.
Senegal’s recent dominance means they will enter the competition as the team to beat, having won each of the past five editions of the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations.
Playing on home sand will give the reigning champions an additional advantage, but it will also bring greater expectations as they attempt to continue their run of success.
The remaining seven places in the tournament will be decided through qualifying matches, with teams from across Africa competing for the opportunity to join Senegal at the finals.
For those nations, qualification will offer more than the chance to compete for the continental title. A place in the final will also provide a route to the 2027 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
The World Cup incentive is expected to increase the importance of the knockout stages, with the finalists guaranteed places at the global tournament.
The revised dates now give participating nations a clear timetable as they prepare for the qualifying campaign and the final tournament in Senegal.
CAF’s decision to move the competition was linked directly to the country’s hosting commitments later this year. The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games will run from 31 October to 13 November, prompting the change to the Beach Soccer AFCON schedule.
Once the qualifiers have been completed, the successful teams will travel to Senegal for the eight-team continental competition.
Senegal will begin the tournament with the additional distinction of being both hosts and reigning champions. Their five successive titles have established them as the dominant force in the competition in recent years.
Their pursuit of a sixth straight championship will therefore be one of the central storylines when the tournament begins on 28 November.
For the other seven finalists, the competition represents an opportunity to challenge Senegal’s dominance and compete for Africa’s two places at the 2027 World Cup.
The combination of the continental title and World Cup qualification should give the tournament considerable importance for every team involved.
CAF has now settled the dates following the Executive Committee meeting, allowing attention to shift towards the qualifying process.
Africa’s beach soccer nations will now compete for the remaining places before converging on Senegal for the continental showpiece, which will run until 6 December.
With the hosts seeking an unprecedented sixth consecutive title and two World Cup places at stake, the tournament will provide both a test of Senegal’s dominance and a major opportunity for their challengers.
