Four Nigerian FIFA-badged beach soccer officials have been appointed to officiate in the 2026 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) beach soccer qualifying campaign, with General Olawale Fawole leading the team for the Uganda-Burundi encounter.

Fawole will serve as the referee for the second-round qualifying fixture, scheduled for October 18, 2026, as Uganda’s Sand Cranes face Burundi in the return leg of their battle for a place at the continental finals in Senegal.

He will be supported by compatriots Olayinka Olajide and Adejoh Noah, who have been appointed as Referee Two and Referee Three, respectively, while Ahmad Rabiu will serve as the timekeeper.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Koutou Pacome has been appointed as the Reserve Assistant Referee, completing the officiating team for the encounter.

The appointment represents another international assignment for Nigeria’s beach soccer referees, whose names feature on FIFA’s 2026 international referees list across the different categories of football officiating.  

The Nigeria Football Referees’ Association (NFRA), through its Acting President, Sir Kelechi Mejuobi, congratulated the selected officials and wished them a successful assignment and a safe return to Nigeria.

The association also expressed confidence in the ability of Nigerian referees to continue representing the country creditably across different forms of the game, including conventional 11-a-side football, beach soccer and futsal.

The Uganda-Burundi fixture forms part of the second round of qualifying matches for the 2026 CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations, which will be hosted by Senegal from November 28 to December 6, 2026.

Uganda and Burundi played out a 4-4 draw in the first leg in Bujumbura on October 10, leaving the tie finely balanced ahead of the return encounter.  

The decisive second leg is scheduled for October 18 at Bamboo Gardens in Kasanje, Uganda, where the Sand Cranes will seek to use home advantage to secure qualification for the continental championship.

Nigeria’s representation on the officiating team underscores the country’s continued involvement in beach soccer refereeing at continental level, with the appointed officials expected to uphold the standards required for an important AFCON qualifying fixture.