Dubai: The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is returning to the UAE after Dubai was selected to host the event in 2024 at the FIFA Council’s 21st meeting in Doha, Qatar. The FIFA Council also awarded hosting rights for the 2025 edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup at the meeting in the Middle East, thus Seychelles will host its first-ever FIFA event in three years.
The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup was held in Dubai in 2009, and after 14 years, it will be held there again for the 12th time. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup will then make its debut in Africa for edition No. 13 after that. In the 20 years since the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup’s 2005 debut in Brazil, a country from every confederation will have hosted the competition after Seychelles was awarded the hosting rights.
“This is a very exciting moment for Beach Soccer as it is the first time that FIFA has simultaneously appointed hosts for two editions of the tournament. We are delighted to go back to the UAE where FIFA hosted one of the best Beach Soccer tournaments in history in 2009. At the same time, in 2025 Seychelles will be hosting its first FIFA tournament, which will complete the tour of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup being hosted in all six confederations,” Mr. Jaime Yarza, FIFA Director of Tournaments, remarked.
“63 million viewers around the globe watched the last edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2021, with each match securing an average viewership of over 2.2 million viewers. This was an enormous increase compared to the previous edition in 2019, so we are confident that in 2023 and 2025 the focus on, and passion for, Beach Soccer will increase again,” Mr, Yarza added.
In 2025 the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is slated to be staged in Victoria, on the island of Mahé, surrounded by crystal clear waters and coral reefs. During the FIFA Council meeting in Qatar, FIFA Director of Tournaments thanked Dubai, and Seychelles for being selected as hosts for the next two FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups.