The TotalEnergies CAF Futsal AFCON kicks off in Morocco in the next few weeks, as Morocco plays host to 8 African nations set to compete for the continental tie. Zambia, who missed out on the last edition in 2020, will be hoping to make amends, aiming for one of the FIFA World Cup spots reserved for the top three finishers in the tournament. In an exclusive interview with CAFOnline, Zambia’s head coach, Andrea Cristoforetti, shared his ambitions for the tournament and highlighted the importance of doing well in Morocco for the growth of Futsal in Zambia. "We got the most difficult group, and it is a difficult group because Morocco is there," said Cristoforetti. "Honestly speaking, Morocco is one of the best teams in the world. They have been playing so many games, and for us, it will be an honor and learning experience playing against such a team." Cristoforetti emphasized the challenges posed by the other teams in Group A, Angola and Ghana. "We don’t really know much about Ghana; we just saw the recent game against Cote d’Ivoire, and they seem to not have played internationally in a while. Then comes Angola, which is our big rivalry – a team that denied us qualification a few years ago." With regard to objectives for this year's tournament, Cristoforetti stated, "A minimum target that we have set for ourselves will be to reach the semi-finals. I think it will be the minimum we can do." Regarding preparations, Cristoforetti mentioned, "We started training and focusing on physical preparation. We are working on a daily basis to find the best conditions in the next few weeks at this point." In terms of friendlies, Cristoforetti expressed the importance of playing real games for progress and training. "One of the best elements to progress and train is to play real games. We have a couple of invites, and we are trying to see if it is feasible and possible, otherwise we will just do internal games." Highlighting the broader impact of success in the tournament, Cristoforetti stressed, "Historically, we know that when a national team starts competing in an international competition, what happens in a country. We have ambitions of qualifying for the World Cup, so if the minimum objective is to go to the semi-final, our real ambition is to actually qualify for the World Cup." He added, "My job has always been clear from Day 1, which is to develop Futsal in Zambia. To continue this growth is to try and achieve success, and with that, the whole movement will grow."