Mauritania suffered a narrow defeat in their opening match at the 2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, losing 5-4 to Iran on Thursday in Victoria, Seychelles.
It was a tough debut for the Mourabitounes, marking their first-ever appearance at a Beach Soccer World Cup. Despite a promising start with an early goal from Cheikh Belkheir in the 9th minute, the vice-champions of Africa were unable to hold off a more experienced and disciplined Iranian side.
Iran quickly responded, equalizing and then taking the lead before halftime. Mauritania remained competitive throughout, particularly in the second half, with Belkheir completing a hat-trick and Bilal Ahmedou adding another goal in a spirited comeback attempt.
However, it wasn’t enough to secure the points, as Iran ultimately edged out the win. Mauritania will look to bounce back in their second group-stage match on Saturday, where they’ll face Portugal — who defeated Paraguay 11-9 in their opening game.