The Mauritania national beach soccer team represents Mauritania in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, the governing body for football in Mauritania. The team qualified for the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations for the first time in 2024, they finished second in their first participation, which will make their debut at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2025.
The Mauritania beach soccer team was created in 2010, but it only really got going in 2020 due to a lack of infrastructure and resources.[3] The team's first participation was in the 2023 Arab Beach Soccer Cup in Egypt and was eliminated in the quarter-finals after the defeat against the host country 3–8.[4] The team qualified for the Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations finals for the first time in 2024 after eliminating Nigeria from the qualifying round on away goals rule after a 10–10 draw in both matches.
In the finals in Egypt, the team entered strongly in Group B where they defeated Senegal, the title holders and the most successful team in the tournament history 5−2.[5] In the second match, the team lost on penalties to Mozambique 1–4 after a 3–3 draw in extra time.[6] In the third match, Mauritania achieved a resounding victory after defeating Malawi 11–6,[7] and the team advanced to the semi-finals at the top of the group. In the semi-finals, Mauritania swept Morocco 7–4,[8] and the team advanced to the final match to face Senegal again and qualified for the 2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup for the first time.[9][10] However, the team was shocked by a heavy defeat 1−6 against the experienced Senegalese team and get the silver medal.[11][12]
The following players and staff members were called up for the 2024 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations.[13]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.