Sand Eagles Step Up AFCON Qualification Push with Full Squad in Kaduna

Posted : 27 September 2026

Nigeria’s Sand Eagles have entered a crucial phase of preparations for their CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations qualifying tie against Ghana, with all 20 invited players now in camp in Kaduna.

The team has spent the past week undergoing intensive tactical and technical sessions at the Murtala Muhammed Square Sports Complex as preparations gather pace for the two-legged showdown with Ghana’s Black Sharks.

The training programme is being supervised by coach Christopher Kadiri in the absence of head coach Abdullahi Isa, who is currently with the Golden Eaglets preparing for next month’s WAFU-B U17 Championship in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

Nigeria will host Ghana in the first leg in Kaduna on Saturday, October 10, before travelling to Accra for the return leg on Saturday, October 17.

The qualification tie represents another opportunity for the Sand Eagles to re-establish themselves among Africa’s leading beach soccer nations following their return to the international scene two years ago.

Nigeria’s comeback campaign ended in disappointment after the team was eliminated by Mauritania on the away-goal rule in the qualifiers for the CAF Beach Soccer AFCON hosted by Seychelles.

The Sand Eagles will now have to overcome Ghana across the two legs to secure a place at this year’s continental finals, scheduled to be held in Senegal from October 7 to 15.

As part of efforts to provide the team with additional competitive preparation, the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has approached the Fédération Sénégalaise de Football to arrange friendly matches between the Sand Eagles and the Senegalese national beach soccer team.

The proposed fixtures are expected to give Nigeria valuable match exposure ahead of the decisive encounters with Ghana.

Sand Eagles Squad for Ghana AFCON Qualifying Fixture

Goalkeepers: Godwin Tale (Kada BSC); Nuhu Noma Aiki (Kebbi BSC); Olalekan Oladipo (Kada BSC).

Defenders: Victor Tale (Kada BSC); Taiwo Adams (Kebbi BSC); Emmanuel Ohwoferia (Kebbi BSC); Clement Eganosi (Anambra BSC); Effiong Eyo (Ibom BSC); Chinweze Gabriel (Anambra BSC).

Forwards: Dozie Frank (Kada BSC); Stanley Ekwe (Anambra BSC); Tanko Emmanuel (Kada BSC); Ekene Obi (Kebbi BSC); Hassan Abubakar (Niger BSC); Sadiq Umar (Kebbi BSC); Kazeem Oyewunmi (Igbogbo BSC); Hassan Abdullahi (Kebbi BSC); Godspower Igudia (Edo BSC); Hamza Bagudu (Jigawa BSC); Hamza Isa (Kebbi BSC).

Sand Eagles Step Up AFCON Qualification Push with Full Squad in Kaduna

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