After having conquered America, Europe and Asia, the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup sails to the dream setting of Tahiti to celebrate the seventh chapter of an amusingly successful story. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013, to take place in Papeete from September 18th to 28th, 2013 brings the top-notch beach soccer festival to Oceania, with the sands of the Tahua Toata stadium hosting, at the same time, the first ever FIFA senior tournament by the pristine waters of the French Polynesia.
The Tahitian capital has been then entitled to strengthen a brilliant tradition which first saw light in Rio de Janeiro, down in 2005, and which grew healthily in the two subsequent editions in the Copacabana beach before beginning its tour around the globe with Marseille (2008), Dubai (2009) and Ravenna, Italy, in 2011. The growth of the sport, loudly showcased in each edition of its biggest festival, is unstoppable, and it is now ready to experience a new chapter by the Pacific Ocean.
That last edition brought a major change in the competition’s history, a new instance of the sport’s maturity, as one team was finally able to dethrone the up-to-then uncontested rulers of the sport, Brazil. The Russian National team, with a perfect beach soccer concerto edged the verdeamarela in the final of Ravenna to establish a new status quo in the sport’s highest scale. Now it is going to be their turn to defend such a valuable position, with other 15 sides willing to have Papeete as the end of the Russian reign.
With just one qualifier held so far, the final list of contenders remains still as an enigma. What can be already stated is that Russia will have the chance to fight to keep their crown, after earning their tickets to Tahiti in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2013 Qualifier held in Moscow last July. That same battle saw Spain jumping onboard again after having failed to get to Ravenna, and Ukraine confirming their second berth in a row. Together with them, one team joins the select 16-member club for the first time ever, the Netherlands, who will get in the French Polynesia their first taste of FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup top action.
For further information, please visit www.fifa.com/beachsoccerworldcup
Paraguay
Senegal
Russia
Brazil
Spain
Argentina
Tahiti
Netherlands
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Joaquín AlonsoSpain National Coach and FIFA InstructorWomen’s beach soccer has evolved greatly
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Philippe MoggioCONCACAF General SecretaryBeach Soccer, a powerful platform to strengthen the game
