One day to go until kick off in China

Hosts set to face England on day one of CFA Belt and Road Championship in Haikou

There is just one day to go until the action in Haikou gets underway, so let’s take a quick look at what we can expect from the competition.

The teams have landed and the official training sessions are being held under the scorching Chinese sun.

Burning sand is little concern for these experienced sides, and the players are raring to play their first fixtures.

The action kicks off tomorrow when England play against their hosts China to start the tournament, and later on Portugal will take on Czech Republic.

Breaking up the men’s action will be some beach soccer matches held between local women’s sides. 

Hosts China, the only non-European nation to take part, welcome the Czech Republic back to Haikou for the second year running, while England and Portugal will complete the line-up with their maiden attendance. 

The event will take place between April 26th and 28th, and will act as a vital opportunity for the European sides to prepare for the fast-approaching Euro Beach Soccer League fight.

There will be an opening ceremony on Friday before China’s opening match. 

With the two previous winners of the competition (Oman and Azerbaijan) not competing this year, a new CFA Belt and Road champion is guaranteed for 2019.

Although Portugal will be many people’s favourites to lift the trophy, all of these teams have been training hard ready for the season ahead…so let’s not rule anyone out just yet!

Stay up-to-date on the CFA Belt and Road International Beach Soccer Cup 2019 on the Beach Soccer Worldwide website.