Two-time African champions the Super Sand Eagles of Nigeria will begin
their campaign at this year’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup finals in
Paraguay when they clash with world number two Portugal in Asuncion on
Friday.
This year’s finals will hold at the ‘Los Pynandi’ World Cup Stadium –
named after the Paraguayan national beach soccer team – and located at
the headquarters of the Paraguayan Olympic Committee in Greater
Asuncion.
Nigeria earned a ticket to feature at the 16 –team World Cup finals
after finishing second at the CAF Beach Soccer Cup of Nations held in
Egypt in December 2018. Champions Senegal is the other team flying
Africa’s flag in Paraguay.
This year’s finals will kick off on Thursday and end on Sunday, 1st December.
Nigeria’s delegation of players and team officials flew out of the
country on Friday, 8th November, in order to participate in an
eight-nation pre-competition tournament that took place in Asuncion
from 12th to 16th November.
The Supersand Eagles defeated the Tahiti national team 9-4 during the
pre-tournament event, after losing 3-7 to host Paraguay.
On Monday this week, Coach Audu ‘Ejo’ Adamu and his wards moved into
their Dazzler Hotel World Cup accommodation in Asuncion, and have been
training hard as they countenance an interesting encounter with the
world number two team on Friday.
Nigeria, winners of the African title in 2007 and 2009, and quarter
–finalists at the World Cup in 2007 and 2011, will campaign in a
fierce Group D that also has world number one team, Brazil and Oman,
ranked number 14 in the world. Nigeria is ranked 21st in the world.
Host nation Paraguay will tackle Japan in the tournament opening game
on Thursday. After their first game against Portugal on Friday, the
Supersand Eagles will take to the beach against Oman on Sunday, 24th
November and then against Brazil two days later.
