Beach Party

With a massive coastline of 7,491km and some of the best talent the world has seen, it would somehow not have seemed right for the official form of beach soccer to have originated anywhere else but Brazil.

People have been kicking footballs around on the sand for centuries but it wasn't until the early 1990s when some of the grass version of the game's biggest stars such as Zico, Junior and Romario turned up at the beach that things got serious.

In 1994 Brazil staged its first non-official world competition - Mundialito - and by the following January, the first Beach Soccer World Cup was being staged.

After recognising the potential in this impressively acrobatic form of the game, in 2005 Fifa got on board - launching the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup that same year.

This year for the first time, the UAE will be represented when the world meets at the famous Copacabana beach in Rio in November.

Exciting times

Having only entered into the top level of the sport last year, the UAE side emerged as continental champions after defeating Japan 4-3 in the final of the Asian qualifying tournament played on home sand last week.

Venturing on to the world stage won't be quite as daunting as it could be, with the help of a Brazilian, UAE coach Marcelo Mendes, who has his sights set on at least a quarterfinal place for his side in the November 2-11 tournament.

"I feel excited by the way these boys are playing, mostly because I know that they are just scratching the surface of their potential," said Mendes after his side's qualification for the world competition.

"If we make the correct preparation before the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup we can cause a lot of damage. It's just the beginning of a great story, I'm positive."

So, what exactly is it about beach soccer that has seen it becoming one of the fastest growing sports on the planet and has lured the likes of former French stalwart Eric Cantona into its fold?

Special skills

"It's pure entertainment because beach soccer has an average of eight to 10 goals per match and averages one shot on goal every 30 seconds so it's full action," said Fifa's Beach Soccer Head of Event Operations Fulvio Danilas.

"What also makes it exciting is that the players have to develop special skills to overcome the irregularity of the sand. They play the ball in the air a lot and that allows for bicycle kicks and volley shots so that makes it very interesting for spectators.

"Besides that we have the lifestyle of the beach incorporated into the game so we have music and dancers and different aspects that are also a part of the beach soccer experience," added Danilas.

It will certainly be an experience for the UAE who face the tough task of taking on the likes of Brazil as well as European powerhouses France and Portugal, the only two teams to have taken the world title away from the Brazilians, but one which they are relishing, and they are sure to enjoy the party atmosphere along the way.