Credit : FIFA's X
DAKAR, November 1, 2026 – The Men’s and Women’s Youth Olympic Futsal Tournaments 2026 have kicked off in Dakar, Senegal, with 16 teams from all six confederations chasing Olympic medals at the Youth Olympic Games between November 1 and 12.
FIFA announced the start of the competition on its official X account, calling on fans to “catch the rising stars of futsal” and saying every match will be broadcast live and free on FIFA.com.
Eight teams in each tournament
This is the second edition of the Youth Olympic futsal competitions, according to FIFA. The men’s and women’s tournaments each feature eight nations split into two groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the semi-finals.
In the men’s tournament, Group A brings together hosts Senegal, Argentina, Panama and Afghanistan, while Group B features Portugal, Morocco, the Solomon Islands and Paraguay.
The women’s tournament has hosts Senegal, Fiji, Venezuela and Ukraine in Group A, with Italy, Cameroon, Costa Rica and Iran in Group B, according to FIFA’s tournament guide.
Matches are being played at the Iba Mar Diop sports complex and the Dakar Arena. The women’s competition opened on Sunday, November 1, while the men’s tournament begins on Monday, November 2. The finals are set for the closing days of the Games.
Contenders to watch
In its men’s preview, FIFA highlighted Argentina and Portugal, whose senior national teams have both won the FIFA Futsal World Cup, as leading contenders. Argentina arrive as three-time successive CONMEBOL U-17 Futsal champions, having beaten Brazil 2-1 in this year’s final, while Portugal were runners-up at the 2025 Dakar en Jeux event.
Morocco, who finished third at the Dakar en Jeux, and Afghanistan, the reigning Asian Youth Games champions, are also expected to make an impact. Brazil won the men’s gold the last time futsal was played at the Youth Olympics, at Buenos Aires 2018.
In the women’s draw, FIFA pointed to Italy, whose senior side reached the quarter-finals of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup Philippines 2025, as a team to follow, with several young players pushing for places in the national set-up.
A stage for future stars
FIFA said the 16 squads are “brimming with promising prospects” keen to make their mark on an international stage. For many of the players, born in 2009 and 2010, Dakar offers a first taste of a multi-sport Olympic event and a chance to catch the eye of senior national team coaches.
Host nation Senegal will hope to make the most of home support. Their men’s side, coached by Balla Moussa Balde, gained valuable experience at the Dakar en Jeux in 2025, where they faced Brazil, Portugal and Morocco.
The Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games are the first Olympic event of any kind to be held in Africa.
Source: FIFA on X
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