AFCON 2026 Beach Soccer Qualifiers:
- Uganda 9-6 Burundi (*Aggregate: Uganda qualifies with 13-10 aggregate)
Uganda national beach soccer team (Sand Cranes) will play at the AFCON Beach soccer championships again for the third time in the history of the competition.
The Sand Cranes beat Burundi 9-6 during the return leg of the qualifiers played at Bunjako beach in Buwama, Mpigi district on Sunday, 18th October 2026.
Godfrey Edweru, Baker Lukooya and Joshua Letti Lubwama each scored a brace as Ambrose Kigozi, Brian Nkuubi Ssemakula and Paul Lule added a goal apiece.
Ninihanazwe and Mossi Nshimirimana each got a hat-trick for the hard-fighting Burundians.
From the first leg played in Bujumbura which ended 4 goals apiece, the aggregate score was 12-10 in favour of Uganda.
Uganda led the opening period 2-1 and doubled the advantage to 4-2 by the climax of the second period.
In the third period; Uganda led 6-3 at some stage before the Burundians fought gallantly to pile more pressure to the hosts.
Uganda held onto the slim 6-5 lead in the final minutes with Lubwama scoring a cracker, making it 7-5.
Moments later, Brian Nkuubi Ssemakula made it 8-5 with a great strike to win the contest.
Nshimirimana narrowed the gap for Burundi for Burundi’s 6th goal on the sunny afternoon.
Paul Lule sealed the victory for Uganda with a late-late strike, the icing on the cake as the hosts had the last and best smile.
There were massive celebrations of a historic AFCON beach soccer slot secured and sealed with the players, coaches, officials and the fans dancing to music on the sand.
The 2026 AFCON Beach Soccer championship will be staged in Senegal come November (7th to 14th 2026).
The Sand Cranes return to Senegal for the second time, having also played in Maputo, Mozambique for the final championships.
I salute the players, fellow coaches, Uganda Beach Soccer Association (UBSA) and FUFA officials for the collective efforts put together for this victory. We shall straight away embark on the preparations for a successful championship.
Geofrey Akabwai, Uganda Sand Cranes head coach
This is a big achievement to qualify at home. I thank the UBSA executive committee members, FUFA officials, the players, fans and the media. I also thank the Bunjako beach management for the great venue.
Juma Adam Kato, Organizing committee member
