Under the tutelage of Brazilian coach Marco Octavio, Iran won its first ever title at the Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup in 2013 and now is ready to repeat the honor.
The national team has been pitted against two-time champion Russia, Mexico and Paraguay in Group B and will play its first match against Paraguay on Tuesday at the Marasi Business Bay in Dubai, Tasnim News Agency reported.
Group A consists of three-time champion Brazil, host UAE, Egypt and Portugal. Brazil is the competition’s favorite after it won title at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in May.
After the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup is the biggest tournament on the current international beach soccer calendar.
Similar to the FIFA Confederations Cup, eight nations will take part in the event, with one team representing each of the six continental football confederations (except for the OFC) as well as the current World Cup champion, Brazil, and the host UAE.
The tournament starts with a group stage, played in a round robin format. The winners and runners-up from each group advance to the knockout stage, in which the teams compete in single-elimination matches, beginning with the semifinal and ending with the final. A third-place match is played by the losing semifinalists.
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