Excitement is building with each passing moment as the longest running beach soccer tournament heads to Espinho
With 20 years of history, every year the Mundialito features four of the best and most renowned teams from across the beach soccer global landscape. Portugal, Hungary, Japan, and the U.S.A. will all be competing in this years’ high stakes event. On paper, the Portuguese look to be the favourites, playing in front of their home crowd and using that to bring the Mundialito crown back to Portugal. The Portuguese have been champion four times, last in 2012. That year, they defeated Spain in the final, though last season Spain exacted revenge and defeated the Portuguese in the final to earn their first Mundialito title. The United States also have one Mundialito crown in their trophy case, theirs was earned in 1998.
All of the teams have a great beach soccer pedigree and could very well topple the hosts. Hungary fields an extremely tough team, with Berkes, Ughy, and Fekete headlining their roster. Their talents are recognized all over the beach soccer world, not only in Hungary. Japan will use their own star, Ozu, to power through the opposition. In addition to their great on the field talent, the Nippon has recently hired the internationally respected Marcelo Mendes as their new head coach. The Americans have a great mix of young talent and established players, including star, Perera, who will help them navigate through the big Mundialito moments.
Not only does Portugal have the annual pleasure of hosting the BSWW Mundialito but in 2015 they will also be hosting the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. This will be the 8th FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and the third one on the Old Continent. The veteran and highly-skilled Portuguese team will be one of the favourites to win that tournament as well. In five of the previous seven World Cups Portugal has finished in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th place.
In the framework of this XIX Mundialito, women beach Soccer will also have a very preeminent place. The National sides of Switzerland, England and Portugal will compete in an exhibition tournament that will showcase how healthy and bright Women beach soccer near future looks like.
