Morocco will compete in the semifinals of the men’s futsal tournament at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games. The Moroccan team confirmed its qualification on November 7 by defeating Solomon Islands 15-1 in its final Group B match. That emphatic result sent Morocco into the last four and kept the team in contention as the tournament moved from the group stage to the medal phase.
The decisive victory completed a three-match group campaign for Morocco. With two wins and one defeat, the Moroccan side collected six points and claimed one of the two Group B semifinal places. Portugal also advanced from the section, in line with the tournament format under which the top two teams in each group progressed to the semifinals of the men’s competition.
Six scorers drive the Moroccan attack
Hamza El Ahmadi was Morocco’s leading scorer against Solomon Islands, contributing five goals during the match. Mohammed Karouk El Bahi and Alae Aït Challa added three goals apiece. Together, those three players accounted for eleven of Morocco’s fifteen goals, providing the central part of the attacking output that produced the team’s largest result of the group stage and secured its passage into the semifinals.
Brahim Houdane scored twice, while Zakariya Sarghine and Mohammed Serrar each contributed one goal. Their efforts completed Morocco’s total of fifteen in the match. The scoring was therefore shared by six Moroccan players rather than being confined to a single finisher, with El Ahmadi leading the tally and Karouk El Bahi and Aït Challa each recording three goals in the decisive Group B fixture.
A lead established before halftime
Morocco had already built a 5-0 advantage by halftime. That score placed the team in a strong position before the second period, when the gap continued to grow. Ten further Moroccan goals took the final total to fifteen, sustaining the attacking momentum after the interval and turning the last Group B match into the victory that confirmed Morocco’s place among the tournament’s four semifinalists.
Jerom Billy scored the only goal for Solomon Islands. Morocco responded by adding seven more goals after his strike, eventually establishing the 15-1 final score. The sequence after the opposing goal extended Morocco’s control on the scoreboard through the closing stages of the match. It also ensured that the result needed to advance from Group B was delivered without allowing the contest to become close.
Morocco recover from an opening defeat
Morocco’s campaign began on November 2 with a 4-1 defeat against Portugal. That opening result left the team needing to respond in its remaining two group fixtures. Morocco did so by winning both matches, a turnaround that allowed the side to complete Group B with six points and continue into the semifinals despite starting the competition with a loss.
The first victory came on November 4, when Morocco defeated Paraguay 6-3. Three days later, the 15-1 win over Solomon Islands completed the recovery. Morocco’s final Group B record was therefore two victories and one defeat from three matches. Qualification followed a clear change in results after the opening setback, with consecutive wins carrying the team into the last four of the men’s tournament.
Argentina await in the semifinal
Morocco are scheduled to face Argentina in the semifinal on November 9. The match will bring the Moroccan team up against an Argentine side that reached the last four after defeating Panama 9-1 on November 7. The victory over Solomon Islands secured Morocco’s progress from the group stage, but a place in the gold-medal match will depend on the outcome of this next fixture.
No precise kickoff time is stated here, but the date and pairing of the semifinal are confirmed. The match had not yet been played when this article was prepared. The verified position is therefore limited to Morocco’s qualification, the scheduled meeting with Argentina on November 9 and the completed results that carried both teams into the final four, without anticipating the outcome of their encounter.
The medal-stage lineup takes shape
The other men’s semifinal, also scheduled for November 9, will bring Portugal and Afghanistan together. Portugal join Morocco as the two qualifiers from Group B, while Afghanistan secured the remaining Group A semifinal place by defeating Senegal 6-0 on November 7. Morocco, Argentina, Portugal and Afghanistan consequently form the four-team lineup that will contest the men’s futsal semifinals at Dakar 2026.
The winners of the two semifinals will advance to the gold-medal match, while the other two teams will remain involved in the bronze-medal contest. Both medal matches are scheduled for November 12. For Morocco, however, the immediately confirmed step is the semifinal against Argentina, after which the team would proceed to one of the two matches that determine the final medal positions in the men’s tournament.
