Hosts UAE were drawn in Group A, together with Egypt, Brazil and Spain. Tahiti, USA, Iran and Russia fall in Group B
The teams found out their groups for the coming Huawei Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup Dubai 2018, following the official draw held this morning at the Dubai Sports Council headquarters.
The pots sent defending champions Brazil, Egypt, newcomers Spain and hosts UAE into Group A, whereas three-time champions Russia, 2013 winners Iran, 2015 and 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Runner-ups Tahiti and USA were drawn in Group B.
The eighth edition of the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup will take place again in Dubai (UAE), between the 6th and 10th of November. A state-of-the art stadium on Dubai’s Kite Beach will host one of the most anticipated and prestigious beach soccer competitions in the world, one that features the globe’s best teams in the beautiful and unique city of Dubai.
During the ceremony, HE Saeed Hareb, General Secretary of the Dubai Sports Council, said that “we are really happy to have this competition landing again in Dubai. Beach Soccer is tightly related to a healthy lifestyle, something Dubai and the Dubai Sports Council firmly believe in. This competition has also become a national and international attraction, and this year we will have a new location on Kite Beach, by the sea. We hope that people love the new venue, and come to enjoy the spectacular matches we will be hosting.”
Moreover, Hareb welcomed the eight participating teams to Dubai. “I would like to give a warm welcome to the Spanish national team, for their first participation in the competition, as well as thanking the other six teams for coming back to our home. We are looking forward to a great competition, and we wish the UAE national team the best of luck, as well.”
Joan Cusco, BSWW Executive Vice-President, also wanted to highlight the high level of the contenders, “which I think has even gone one step further this year.” At the draw he also explained that “every year we receive more and more interest from the teams wanting to take part in the competition.”
In addition, Cusco also mentioned the change of venue, which he felt was a good move. “We are going to be on the beach again, and this is where we belong, so I think that the event has made a leap forwards in this sense, too.”
Huawei renews contract as Title Sponsor
Huawei, the Chinese multinational networking and telecommunications equipment and services company, will, once more, be the presenting partner of the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup Dubai 2018, following an agreement with the Dubai Sports Council and Beach Soccer Worldwide.
Gene Jiao, President of Huawei CBG, Middle East & Africa was also in the ceremony, and was warmly welcomed back by HE Saeed Hareb. “We are really happy to have Huawei back with us this year, and we thank them for their trust and support”, he said.
“The interest from big international companies such as Huawei is a great sign for the event, showing that the competition catches the attention of global corporations”.
In that same sense, Joan Cusco also wanted to thank Huawei, pointing out that “last year, their relationship with the event was aligned with the launch of a new product, but this year it is not, which means that they really believe in the sport and understand that the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup Dubai is a great event to be a part of.”
