The maiden edition of this event will see six teams facing in the Beach Stadium of Haiyang (China), from 11th-14th of July
As of this July 2013, Asia will have another important date in its Beach Soccer calendar. The Asian Beach Cup will experience its first edition this same summer, between 11th and 14th of July. The Chinese seaside town of Haiyang (Shangdong) will be again the epicenter of the continental Beach Soccer, with six National teams will be on hand to set up a true Pan-Asian Beach Soccer party.
The tournament will bank on truly competitive sides in this first edition. Together with hosts and III Asian Beach Games runner-ups China, two of the semi-finalists of the last FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup ? AFC Qualifier, the United Arab Emirates and Australia will also be on hand in Haiyang, with Palestine (third place III Asian Beach Games), Vietnam and Thailand ready to make the most of their chances to the cup.
The teams were drawn into two round robin groups of three, with the top-ranked teams of each group fighting for the cup on Sunday. Hosts China, seeded in group A will take on Palestine and Thailand, whereas UAE and Australia, after their terrible battle in Doha last January, will face again in group B, together with Vietnam.
After the thrilling Asian Beach Games hosted in Haiyang last June 2012, where Beach Soccer was undoubtedly the main protagonist, China is looking forward to become another main hotspot for the sport. This first edition of the Asian Beach Soccer Cup, with many more already scheduled for the subsequent years, have the Asian giant in the right track to become so.
After the draw, held this morning at the BSWW Headquarters, the group composition and match schedule for this upcoming Asian Beach Soccer Cup go as follows:
Group A: China, Palestine and Thailand
Group B: UAE, Australia and Vietnam
Match schedule:
Thursday, 11th July
16:00 ? Palestine vs Thailand
19:30 ? Australia vs Vietnam
Friday, 12th July
16:00 ? UAE vs Vietnam
19:30 ? China vs Thailand
Saturday, 13th July
16:00 ? UAE vs Australia
19:30 ? China vs Palestine
Sunday, 14th July
14:30 ? 3rd A vs 3rd B
16:00 ? 2nd A vs 2nd B
17.15 ? 1st A vs 1st B
