CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Championship begins today

The CONMEBOL nations are about to begin the race to Russia, as continental kings Brazil take on Peru on Matchday 1.

Three of the ten teams will make it to the world championships in Russia, and the CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Championship – acting at the Qualifier for the World Cup – will take place from 26 June to 4 July at Barra de Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The hosts are without doubt the dominant force in South American beach soccer, having won seven of the eight editions of the CONMEBOL Championships. The only other side to have won the continental crown was Argentina in 2013.

Ten teams in two groups of five (see below) will compete to reach the top two places in their group. These four nations will then play high-stake battles in the semi-finals, where two will claim a place on the biggest beach soccer stage of all.

The two losing teams from the semi-finals will meet in a third-place playoff, in an all or nothing clash for the very last ticket to Moscow.

– Group A: Brazil, Paraguay, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela
– Group B: Uruguay, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia

The first day’s matches are as follows:

10.30 – Bolivia v Colombia
12.00 – Argentina v Uruguay
13.30 – Paraguay v Venezuela
15.00 – Brazil v Peru

Rest day: Ecuador y Chile

For full details on the CONMEBOL Championship, head to www.conmebol.com.