Atlas Lions star Soufiane Borite says hosting the TotalEnergies CAF Futsal Africa Cup of Nations, Morocco 2026, comes with extra responsibility as he prepares for his fourth tournament with the record champions.
The Tigers' Roermond ace is one of the most experienced players in the Moroccan team, having won three Futsal AFCON winners' medals since making his tournament debut in South Africa back in 2016.
The hosts are the top seed in Group A, alongside Zambia and north African opponents Libya and Algeria.
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"Even though we've been champions three times in a row, there's always some stress, and even more responsibility now because the tournament is in our country," Borite told CAFOnline.
"We feel that responsibility on our shoulders. But alongside the stress, there's also confidence. The coach is helping us keep a positive atmosphere, and everything is going well as we focus on the tournament."
The 33-year-old Kenitra-born star will be hoping to have a positive impact on Hicham Dguig's side as he returns home to represent his country.
"It's always the best feeling to be called up to represent the national team, especially with the confidence the coach has placed in me. I've been called up since 2016, and it's always an honor, particularly in a big competition like the Africa Cup of Nations."
Morocco beat Angola 5-1 to win the TotalEnergies CAF Futsal AFCON in 2024, before reaching the quarter-finals of the FIFA Futsal World Cup, and Borite says the objective remains the same.
"The main objective is to keep the title in Morocco and win the Futsal AFCON again, this time in our own country," he said with a beaming smile. "There are big national teams in this tournament, so we need to stay focused and work hard to keep the trophy here.
"Futsal has become big in Morocco. We've been champions of Africa three times in a row, and hosting the AFCON at home is a great thing because it brings us the support of the fans.
"More people have started to love watching futsal, and especially the national team, because we're bringing home trophies."
Former international Hicham Dguig has been central to Morocco's development as a leading futsal nation. He became Morocco's head coach in 2010.
"He is important not only to our team but to futsal in Africa. The coach is the leader of the national team, and a very good coach leads you to success," says Borite.
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"We're lucky and grateful to have him. He's a FIFA instructor, so he knows a lot about futsal and is very good at coaching and analyzing games and opponents, which gives us a big advantage.
"He also shares his knowledge with coaches across Africa, so coaching on the continent is improving. At the last World Cup, many African countries gave a very good picture of African futsal, so it's developing a lot. And in the last tournament, Angola put up a real fight."
The Atlas Lions will open their account against Algeria on Monday, 12 October, at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex in Rabat, and Soufiane is impressed with the competitiveness of the sport in Africa.
"Angola reached the final of the last Futsal AFCON and then had a very good World Cup, and several of their players have since signed with big clubs in Europe.
"Algeria has players in good leagues in France. Egypt, Libya and Mozambique are also strong. The level of African futsal teams keeps rising, so it will be a very difficult AFCON this time."
