Futsal AFCON 2026: Egypt Thrash Algeria 8-1 to Claim Bronze

Egypt bounced back from their semifinal heartbreak in emphatic fashion on Wednesday night, thrashing Algeria 8-1 in the Futsal AFCON 2026 third-place playoff at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Hall in Rabat to claim the bronze medal.

The Pharaohs arrived in the bronze-medal game smarting from Monday’s 6-0 semifinal hammering by hosts Morocco. Whatever was said in their dressing room clearly worked — Egypt were ruthless from the first whistle against an Algerian side contesting the biggest match in its short futsal history.

Egypt run riot in Rabat

Algeria, to their credit, started brightly and nearly took a shock lead when Walid Riache’s effort rattled the post. But futsal can be brutal, and within minutes Egypt had flipped the game on its head. A long-range strike from a short corner routine opened the scoring in the 14th minute, and seconds later Ibrahim Sayed pounced on confusion between Samyr Teffaf and Mathieu Hammad to double the lead — a lightning counter sparked by a long throw from Egypt’s goalkeeper, the kind of rapid restart that makes the five-a-side game so breathless.

The third goal arrived in the 16th minute and the contest was effectively over before half-time. Chasing the game, Algeria rolled the dice with the fly-goalkeeper gamble after the break, pushing Teffaf forward and leaving their net unguarded — and Egypt punished it mercilessly, striking in the 25th, 31st, 33rd and 34th minutes before adding an eighth late on. Rayane Ait Hamadouche’s 40th-minute strike was all the consolation the Fennecs could manage.

What the bronze means

For Egypt, third place is a respectable finish that keeps the Pharaohs among Africa’s futsal elite. It caps a strange tournament for them: an 8-0 opening rout of Tanzania and a 4-0 win over Mozambique, then the 4-2 stumble against Angola and the semifinal no-show against Morocco. On their day, as Algeria discovered, they can score against anyone.

For Algeria, the scoreline stings — but the bigger picture is bright. This was the country’s first-ever Futsal AFCON, and they still leave Rabat as semifinalists: a 4-0 opening defeat by Morocco, a historic first point in the 2-2 draw with Libya, and the 7-4 goal-fest win over Zambia. Only Angola and Egypt stood between them and a medal. Their debut announced a side African futsal will have to take seriously.

With Morocco’s 5-2 final win over Angola sealing a fourth straight continental crown, the curtain falls on a memorable tournament in Rabat — and Egypt’s bronze means Africa’s established order heads home with medals to show for it.