The paths to glory for the 16 competing nations in the 12th edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ has taken place at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with fascinating encounters delivered across all four groups.
Titans Brazil and Portugal have been drawn together in Group D at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup UAE 2024™, while Argentina, IR Iran, Spain and Tahiti will form a highly-competitive Group B for the tournament which runs from 15-25 February 2024.
Hosts United Arab Emirates have debutants Egypt, Italy and USA to contend with in Group A. Another first-timer, Colombia, face Belarus, Japan and Senegal in Group C. Portugal, the 2015 and 2019 winners, will face record five-time champions Brazil in a mouth-watering prospect. Mexico and Oman will try to cause a major shock and sneak into the knockout phase.
IR Iran came in third at their last appearance at the global finals, and thrashed Japan 6-0 in the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup final in March. Tahiti finished runners-up twice, while Spain have one silver medal to their name.
The draw – which took place at the Mohammed bin Rashid Library in Dubai – opened with a special video message from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and was conducted by Jaime Yarza, Director of FIFA Tournaments, and Kasra Haghighi, FIFA Head of Olympics, Futsal and Beach Soccer, with Eman Al Ameeri and Mahmood Alhosani the presenters. The draw assistants, meanwhile, were Bakhit Saad, a former UAE International and beach soccer team captain, and Christian Karembeu, a FIFA World Cup™ winner with France in 1998.
H.E. Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Vice-President of the National Olympic Committee and Chairman of the Supreme Local Organizing Committee for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, praised the ceremony and welcomed the delegation to Dubai.
His Excellency said: “I wish to express my gratitude to everyone who has contributed to organising this international sporting event, and I extend my appreciation to His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, President of the UAE FA, for his support to the local organising committee and the cooperation between FIFA, UAE FA and Dubai Sports Council. I would also like to wish all 16 competing nations good luck for the upcoming tournament.”
Commenting on the draw, Mohammed Abdullah Hazzam Al Dhaheri, General Secretary of the UAE Football Association and CEO of the Beach Soccer World Cup LOC, said: “Today’s draw was a resounding success, and we can already see some fascinating encounters in all four groups. The United Arab Emirates is proud to be hosting such a prestigious FIFA event, and we are committed to providing everything required to make this tournament a memorable one, on and off the pitch. We look forward to welcoming the world of Beach Soccer to Dubai in February.”
Also speaking after the draw, Jaime Yarza from FIFA added: “We are delighted today to have taken another giant step on the way to organising this exciting tournament, and now all 16 competing nations know their pathways to the possibility of becoming world champions. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is always one of the most fun, fast-paced and exciting events we organise – with more goals every game than in any other format of football. I encourage everyone to experience the games for themselves next February, whether that be here in Dubai as a spectator or at home as a fan. Tune in, you will not be disappointed.”
Draw outcome
Group A: United Arab Emirates, Egypt, USA, Italy
Group B: Spain, IR Iran, Tahiti, Argentina
Group C: Senegal, Belarus, Colombia, Japan
Group D: Brazil, Oman, Portugal, Mexico
