Senegal and Egypt’s hopes at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup were dashed on Tuesday as both teams were eliminated during the group stages of the tournament in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Having secured their spots in the global event by triumphing at the CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations in 2022, where Senegal emerged victorious over Egypt in the final, the African representatives couldn’t replicate their success on the world stage.
Despite Egypt’s spirited efforts, including a narrow 6-5 loss to the USA in their final group match, they fell short after consecutive defeats to the UAE and Italy.
Senegal, the reigning African champions, showed promise by bouncing back from an initial loss to Belarus with a 5-3 victory over Colombia. However, their journey was cut short after a disappointing 6-4 defeat to Japan in their final Group C encounter.
As the quarter-final matches were decided on Thursday, Brazil, Belarus, Iran, and Italy secured their spots in the next round with impressive victories.
With the semi-final matches set to take place over the weekend, the tournament continues to showcase the thrilling and competitive nature of beach soccer on the global stage.