Drawn in Group A with Senegal, Mozambique and Ghana, Geoffrey Akabwai’s Uganda are targeting a place in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations in beach soccer, played from 28 November to 6 December in Senegal.
The official draw for the Africa Cup of Nations in beach soccer, hosted by Senegal, split the eight national teams involved into two groups, Africa Top Sports reports. Group A brings together Senegal, Mozambique, Uganda and Ghana; Group B features Mauritania, Morocco, Malawi and Angola.
For Uganda, the schedule is tough. The Sand Cranes will face the host nation and defending champions, Mozambique and Ghana, according to the Daily Express. The competition runs from 28 November to 6 December, with a place in the semi-finals at stake that would bring them closer to qualification for the 2027 Beach Soccer World Cup.
A tough group for the Sand Cranes
Uganda’s head coach Geoffrey Akabwai is well aware of the difficulty of the task. “It is not an easy group, but at this level, we have to beat the best to be the best ourselves and win. In East Africa, we represent the CECAFA region, and that is a big responsibility for us, the Sand Cranes,” he told the Daily Express.
The coach is drawing on recent history to fuel his team’s ambition: Uganda will play in their third continental finals, having reached the semi-finals on their debut in 2021 in Senegal. That precedent sets the bar, even though Mozambique beat the Sand Cranes 6-3 in the semi-finals that year.
The task will be all the harder as Senegal, five-time African champions, will play in front of their home crowd. Ghana, for their part, qualified by beating Nigeria, according to the Daily Express.
Akabwai targets qualifying weaknesses
Uganda’s head coach has identified the areas to work on in preparation. “During the camp, the focus will be on defence and firepower, because we conceded a lot of goals in qualifying, but we also scored fewer goals,” he explained to the Daily Express.
Uganda indeed qualified by beating Burundi 13-10 on aggregate, with a 9-6 win in the second leg, according to the Ugandan daily.
Aiming for the semi-finals
The objective is clear for the Sand Cranes: to target a place in the semi-finals, which would bring Uganda closer to qualification for the 2027 Beach Soccer World Cup.
The tournament will be held from 28 November to 6 December. Mozambique, who beat the Sand Cranes in the semi-finals in 2021, are in the same group as Uganda, alongside Senegal and Ghana.