Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Morocco, Mauritania, Lebanon, Iraq and Libya are competing for the “Capital Cup”, as part of the fifth edition of the 2026 Arab Beach Soccer Cup.
The championship competitions, organized by the Arab Football Federation and hosted by the Egyptian Federation in Port Said Governorate, will begin on Thursday, until the 9th of November, with the first match bringing together the teams of Mauritania and Iraq, the second match bringing together the Oman team (runner-up in the last edition) and its counterpart Libya, while the third match brings together the teams of Morocco and Lebanon, and the fourth match brings together the Egyptian team (the defending champion) and its counterpart the Saudi team.
It is noteworthy that the first edition of the Arab Cup Beach Soccer Championship was held in Egypt in 2008, three years after the International Federation (FIFA) decided to include beach soccer in its official competitions, which was in 2005. The first Arab title was achieved by the Libyan team, and the UAE team came in runner-up, followed by the second edition in Saudi Arabia in 2010, where the Saudi team achieved the title, and the UAE team came in runner-up, and then the third edition was held in 2014 in the Republic of Egypt, and the Egyptian national team won the title, and the Lebanese national team came in second place, while the fourth edition was held in 2023 in the Kingdom, and the Egyptian national team won the championship title, and the Oman national team came in runner-up.
The Egyptian national team was crowned champion of the Gulf Cup for Juniors under 17 years old, held in Qatar, after a 3-1 victory over its Emirati counterpart in the final match, on Wednesday.
The Egyptian national team took the lead with Khaled Abu Al-Rakab's goal in the 19th minute of the match held at the Grand Hamad Stadium in the capital, Doha.
Abu Al-Rakab took advantage of his teammate Ahmed Safwat’s cross, the team leader, and shot with his foot into the Emirati net.
The “Al-Abyad” youth team tied with a goal scored by Butti Al-Junaibi in the 45th minute from a penalty kick.
The Pharaohs confirmed their superiority with a brace in the second half. They took the lead again with a goal scored by Mohamed Attia in the 65th minute with a powerful shot with his left hand from inside the penalty area.
Substitute Khaled Musa confirmed his country's superiority with a third goal in the 81st minute.
The Egyptian national team had a distinguished journey in the group stage, after achieving the full mark by winning all four of its matches. Where he began his career with a great victory over Saudi Arabia with a clean score, then defeated Kuwait by three unanswered, and won over Yemen with a score of 5-1, and concluded his matches with a new victory over Iraq with a score of clean five.
In the semi-finals, Egypt defeated China with a score of 4-0.
The UAE national team also achieved 5 consecutive victories in the tournament before losing the final to Egypt.
“Al-Abyad” topped the first group with a full score of 12 points after 4 victories against Bahrain, Oman and Qatar with one score of 2-1 and China 1-0.
The UAE team overcame its Yemeni counterpart in the semi-finals, winning 1-0.
The Egyptian team participated, along with its Chinese counterpart, with an invitation card from the Gulf Football Association, in the Gulf Championship, which prepares the teams of this age group for the World Cup, which will also be held in Qatar during the period from November 19 to December 13.
The draw for the Junior World Cup placed Egypt in the first group, along with Qatar, Greece and Panama.
Today, Wednesday, the Confederation of African Football (CAF) announced the lists of candidates for the Best in the Continent Awards for the year 2026, amid a remarkable Egyptian presence at the level of players, coaches, teams and clubs.
The list of candidates for the Best Player Award on the continent included the inclusion of Mahmoud Hassan “Trezeguet” and Mohamed Shehata, after they performed at outstanding levels last season.
The nomination of Trezeguet, who moved to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at the beginning of the current season, came after his brilliance with Al-Ahly, while Mohamed Shehata won his place on the list after his contribution in leading Zamalek to the final of the African Confederation Cup.
The list also included other prominent Arab names, including the Algerian Ahmed Khalidi, the USMA player who won the African Confederation title.
The list also includes Abdelnour Belhasini (CS Belouizdad), Mohamed Rabie Harimat (Royal Army), Mounir Shaair (Nahda Berkane), Sofiane El Mouden (Olympique Safi), Khulisso Modaw (Mamelodi Sundowns), and Abdelraouf Yacoub (Al Hilal Sudan).
In the coaches category, Hossam Hassan, coach of the Egyptian national team, entered the race to compete for the Best Coach in Africa award, after leading the team to the round of sixteen in the 2026 World Cup, while the list also included Motamed Gamal, coach of Zamalek.
Hassan will face strong competition from prominent names, most notably the Moroccan duo Walid Regragui, Mohamed Wehbe, Miguel Cardoso (Mamelodi Sundowns), Pape Thiaw (Senegal), Alexandre Santos (Royal Army), Sebastien Desabre (Democratic Congo), Lamine Ndiaye (USM), and Bobista (Cape Verde).
The Egyptian presence extended to the list of the best teams on the continent, as the Egyptian national team was among ten teams nominated for the award after its campaign in the 2026 World Cup.
The list also includes the teams of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana and South Africa.
Zamalek is also competing among the candidates for the Best African Club Award, being the only Egyptian representative on the list, after winning the local league title and reaching the Confederation Cup final last season.
The list also includes Manyama Union (Democratic Congo), USM (Algeria), CS Belouizdad (Algeria), Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa), RS Berkane (Morocco), Olympique Safi (Morocco), Royal Army (Morocco), Esperance (Tunisia), and Al-Hilal (Sudan).
Egyptian Hamza Abdel Karim, player of Barcelona and the Egyptian national team, competes for the award for the best young player in Africa with a group of the most prominent emerging talents on the continent.
The list witnessed a remarkable Arab presence, with the presence of Algerian Ibrahim Mazza, Bayer Leverkusen player, and Moroccan duo Abdallah Ouzane, Ajax player, and Ayoub Bouadi, Manchester City player.
The CAF Awards ceremony is scheduled to be held on December 7 in the Nigerian city of Lagos.
