Nigeria’s Supersand Eagles are set to leave the shores of Nigeria to Nouakchott, Today, July 19, 2024, ahead of their 2024 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against their Mauritanian counterparts, slated for Saturday, July 20, 2024.

Nigeria who had gone through a five-year hiatus in the international space, will return to international competitive soccer action against Mauritania tomorrow, with the return leg scheduled for Saturday, July 27, in Nigeria.

The match will have Egyptian officials take charge. Hany Farouk El-Sayed Eleraky is the referee, with Ahmed Mohamed Elwan Nofal as Referee 2 and Ibrahim El-Sayed Mahgoub as Referee 3. Khaled Mohamed Elewa will serve as the timekeeper, while Moroccan El Mansouri Taha will be the commissioner.

The Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations (BSAFCON) is the beach soccer tournament of Africa organized by the Confederation of African Football (CAF). The tournament was launched in 2006, and the winners of each edition qualify for African nations for the upcoming FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.

Senegal is the most successful nation in the competition and World Cup qualifications, having won seven titles, including the latest one in 2022, and qualified with nine out of eleven attempts; Nigeria follows close behind, with six qualifications.

Nigeria has been a continental and to some extent global, power in beach soccer in previous years, with the Supersand Eagles winning the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in 2007 and 2009 and reaching the quarter-finals of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Italy 13 years ago.

A total of 14 nations will be engaged in the qualifiers set to take place over a two-legged format to decide the seven nations that will join tournament hosts, Egypt at the finals this summer.

Reigning African champions Senegal will kick off the qualifiers against Guinea who are earmarking a first CAF Beach Soccer AFCON appearance.