Seychelles is set to host the 2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup from May 1-11 in Victoria, Mahé.
This year’s tournament will be the 13th instalment since its inception in 2005. It will also be the first time the Seychelles hosts the event.
The event will host 16 teams competing in the newly constructed 4 000-seat stadium in Roche Caiman. The host nation’s team will make its tournament debut, adding excitement for local supporters and international visitors.
After the event, the stadium will be repurposed into two smaller venues promoting beach soccer in the country.
The draw will be conducted at 15:00 GMT (17:00 Cairo time) and will be here.
It is the first time that the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup will be staged on African sand, and along with hosts Seychelles, Senegal and Mauritania will be flying the continent’s flag at the May 1-11, 2025 finals.
The trio form part of a 16-team field that also includes defending champions and six-time winners Brazil, the runners-up from the last edition Italy, and bronze medallists from a year ago, Iran.
The other qualifiers are Belarus, Chile, El Salvador, Guatemala, Japan, Oman, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and Tahiti.
The teams will be drawn into four groups. The top two from each of the pools will advance to the knockout phase, in which quarter-finals, semi-finals, a third-place play-off and final will ensue.
Hosts Seychelles will take up position A1 as they make their debut at the global finals.
Mauritania are also making their first appearance having qualified by finishing second at the CAF Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations 2024 in Egypt last October.
Mauritania were beaten in the final by Senegal, who claimed a record-extending eighth African title and will be making a 10th appearance at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
Senegal’s best finish at the global event was in 2021 when they ended in fourth place.
Other countries making their debut are Guatemala and Chile, while at the other end of the spectrum, Brazil and Japan will make record 13th appearances.
Portugal are the only other former winners in the field after they claimed the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup title in 2015 and 2019.
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The global tournament was first played in 2005. Russia (2011, 2013 and 2021) and France (2005) are the other nations to have lifted the trophy.
Among this year’s field, Italy (three times), Tahiti (2), Japan (1) and Spain (1) have made the final in the past, but have yet to lift the trophy.
