Six Asian nations to battle for three berths in finals

Dubai: Today is a milestone both for beach soccer and for the UAE. The UAE Football Association headquarters hosted the press conference that officially launched the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2006 Qualifier Dubai.

The competition, to be held from tomorrow to May 26 in Jumeirah Beach Park, features six Asian nations that will battle for three berths in the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2006, in which the 16 top teams in the world will take part in Rio de Janeiro, from November 2 to 12.

Teams play round-robin group leagues and the top two from each advance to the semifinals. The finalists, as well as the winners of the third-place match, will qualify for the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2006.

Members of Fifa Beach Soccer, officials from the UAE FA and representatives from the Dubai municipality and Department of Tourism Commerce and Marketing presented the tournament, that has the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

The press conference also served a major opportunity for the UAE to present their first-ever beach soccer national team.

The 12 UAE players will face Bahrain and China in Group A of the first round, while Group B features Japan, the Philippines and Iran. The countries play round-robin inside their pools and the top two teams of each qualify for the semifinals.

The finalists and the winner of the third place match qualify for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2006.

The top two teams from each advance to the semifinals. The finalists, as well as the winners of the third-place match, will qualify for the World Cup

Fixture
Asian qualifiers in Dubai

Group A: UAE, Bahrain & China. Group B: Japan, Philippines, Iran.

Fixtures (all UAE timings):

Monday, May 22: At 4pm:
Game 1: Japan vs Philippines.
Followed by Game 2: UAE vs Bahrain

Tuesday, May 23: At 4pm:
Game 3: Bahrain vs China
Followed by Game 4: Japan vs Iran

Wednesday, May 24: At 4pm:
Game 5: Philippines vs Iran
Followed by Game 6: UAE vs China

Thursday, May 25: Semifinals (order of matches could be altered):
At 4pm: Game 7: Group A winners vs Group B runners-up.
Followed by Game 8: Group B winners vs Group A runners-up.

Friday, May 26:
Final and 3rd-place match.
At 4pm: Game 9: Losers of Game 7 vs Losers of Game 8.
At 5pm: Game 10: Winners of Game 7 vs Winners of Game 8.

The 16 participating teams in the final at Rio de Janeiro, from November 2-12, will come from six qualifying events worldwide.