Dakar
Dakar plays football on the beach at low tide, on dusty neighbourhood grounds and on the courts between apartment blocks. The MCC Dakar tournament gives that appetite a 5-a-side season in 2027: three grounds across the peninsula and its suburbs, a Pitch Round that starts on 9 April and wraps up on 9 May, and a ladder ending at the World Final on 7 July.
Three grounds, three champions
Two halves of 15 minutes on a stop clock. Every team plays three group matches in a group of four, and the top two go into the playoffs, where a tie level after two halves goes to penalties. Five weeks of football on each ground leave Dakar with three Pitch Champions, and each goes straight to the Country Championship.
North Dakar
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
Pikine/East
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
West Dakar
64 to 128 teams · $20,000 to its Pitch Champion
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Foot à cinq on the Cap-Vert peninsula
Small-sided football is everywhere in Dakar. Corniche courts fill at dusk, the sand at Ouakam and Yoff is never empty, and neighbourhood sides from Médina, Grand Yoff and Parcelles Assainies play each other for pride. Senegal's navétanes, the summer neighbourhood competitions, show how seriously people here take a local side.
MCC asks for a simple commitment. A squad holds up to nine amateur players, a match is two halves of 15 minutes with a stopped clock, and a group of four plays three games before the playoffs. A playoff that ends level goes to penalties, so every knockout game has a winner on the day.
North Dakar, Pikine/East and West Dakar
The peninsula is narrow, so the grounds split it by direction rather than distance. North Dakar serves the northern districts around Yoff, Ngor and the airport road. Pikine/East reaches inland to Pikine, Guédiawaye and the suburbs along the Autoroute. West Dakar covers the older centre, Plateau, Médina and the western tip near Ouakam and Mermoz. Every ground is its own full round, anywhere from 64 teams to 128.
People move around by car rapide, Dakar Dem Dikk buses, taxis and the new regional train line, and the Autoroute can clog at rush hour. Teams are best placed choosing the ground their squad can reach without a long crossing.
Dry season weather and the path to the World Final
Dakar is dry in April and May, warm and often breezy off the Atlantic. The Pitch Round starts with group matches on 9 to 11 April, followed by 16 to 18 and 23 to 25 April. Knockouts begin on 30 April, and by 9 May 2027 every ground has crowned its Pitch Champion.
Senegal has no other MCC host city, which sends all three Dakar Pitch Champions directly to the Country Championship, from 28 to 30 May. The continental stage comes after that, and the World Final on 7 July 2027 ends the ladder.
What sets MCC apart from a navétane or a cup
Local competitions in Dakar tend to be seasonal or single cups. MCC is a ladder, national first and then international, with a published format, dates fixed months ahead and $20,000 for each ground's champion. Only amateurs may enter. Each team holds one Team License, names a Team President and plays under a zero-tolerance conduct policy.
The road out of Dakar
- 01 · 9 Apr - 9 May 2027
Pitch Round
Groups of four on every pitch, three group matches each. The top two of every group go into the playoffs, and penalties settle a level playoff tie.
$20,000 - 02 · 28-30 May 2027
Country Championship
The Pitch Champions of each country play for the national title: two halves of 15 minutes, a league table, then the playoffs.
$150,000 - 03 · 2027
Continental Championship
Country Champions compete within their region for a place on the world stage.
$500,000 - 04 · 7 Jul 2027
World Championship
A five-team mini-league, then the World Final: two halves of 15 minutes, penalties if level. One MCC World Champion.
$5,000,000
Questions from Dakar
How does a team enter MCC in Dakar?
Register on this site and pick one of Dakar's three grounds: North Dakar, Pikine/East, West Dakar. One Team License per team: USD 1,200 for one year until 1 March 2027 (then 2,500), or 5,000 for three years. Payment and KYC verification follow the application.
When does the tournament start in Dakar?
The Pitch Round runs 9 April to 9 May 2027 on all three Dakar grounds. The group matches are played on 9-11, 16-18 and 23-25 April, the playoffs from 30 April, and each ground's final on 9 May. Pitch Champions go straight to the Country Championship on 28-30 May 2027.
How many teams can play in Dakar?
Up to 384: each of the three grounds takes up to 128 teams, and each needs a minimum of 64 to run its round. A full ground puts an entry on its waitlist instead of turning it away.
What can a Dakar team win?
$20,000 per Pitch Champion, $150,000 for the Senegal title, $500,000 continental and $5,000,000 for the World Champion - plus championship rings from Country level up.
Can a navétane team from my quartier enter MCC Dakar?
Yes, as long as every player is an amateur and the squad has five to nine players. A neighbourhood side needs one Team License and a Team President on the entry, and it can play at whichever Dakar ground is closest.
Which ground suits teams from Guédiawaye and Pikine?
The Pikine/East ground is drawn around that side of the agglomeration, so it is the likely choice. A team enters whichever ground its players live or work nearest to, and each one plays a full round.
Which Dakar ground suits a team from Ouakam or Yoff?
North Dakar covers Yoff, Ngor and the airport road, and West Dakar covers Ouakam, Mermoz and the older centre. Each ground holds 64 to 128 teams and runs its own round, so a team picks whichever one its players can reach most easily.
Do we play other Senegalese cities after our ground?
Dakar is the only host city in Senegal, so the three Dakar Pitch Champions are the entire field at the Country Championship on 28 to 30 May 2027. After it comes the continental stage.
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Claim a pitch in Dakar
One Team License per team, for one year or three years. Squads of up to 9 are built in the MCC app after licensing. Registration takes the team, its coach and its Team President.
- USD1,200One year
- 5,000Three years