WINDHOEK: The national Futsal team, ‘Brave Fives,’ qualified for their first-ever African Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals by defeating Tanzania 6-3 on Friday night in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.

The Namibian Futsal team, who recently joined the international football family, lost their first-leg qualifier 5-2 at home but redeemed themselves with an impressive away performance.

The win saw the Brave Fives qualify for the AFCON finals on their first attempt after the two teams were levelled on an aggregate score of eight goals each. However, a better away goal scored saw Namibia progress to the championships’ finals.

Futsal AFCON is the primary national futsal tournament for the Confederation of African Football (CAF) countries and has been held every four years since its inception in 1996. It serves as a pathway for qualification to the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Futsal World Cup.

This year’s championship will take place in Rabat, Morocco from 08 to 17 April with eight nations set t
o compete for the top honours including Angola, Egypt, Mauritania, Namibia, Ghana, Libya, Zambia and the host, Morocco.

Mauritania and Namibia will be making their first appearance at this continental showpiece.

The top three teams of the tournament will qualify as the CAF representatives for the 2024 FIFA Futsal World Cup to be held in Uzbekistan from 14 September to 04 October 2024.

In a recent interview with Nampa, Futsal Namibia founder Andrei Tirtirau said Namibia has a good team and qualifying for the Futsal AFCON is a dream come true.

‘Our first appearance in the Futsal tournament is going to put Namibia on the map as a nation with a pool of talented footballers in our league. We are excited about the opportunity to compete with the biggest nations on the continent and qualifying for the tournament still feels unbelievable but it’s a real good accomplishment,’ he said.

Tirtirau added that the team will take a one-week break and thereafter reassemble to focus on preparations for the AFCON tournamen
t, as their ultimate goal is to qualify for the 2024 Futsal World Cup, which he believes is an achievable dream if they prepare well.

Source: The Namibia Press Agency