FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup to kick off in UAE

The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is set to begin in Dubai, with 16 teams from around the world competing for the title.

There are four matches on Thursday, starting with USA against Italy in the opening fixture, followed by Tahiti vs Argentina. The UAE is also in action as they take on Egypt.

The tournament's stadium in Dubai Design District was built in record time, taking organisers just 25 days. Beyond the standard specs, the venue boasts a pristine sand pitch, which is at least 40cm deep and spans 36 meters by 27 meters.

Jaime Yarza González. Director FIFA Tournaments, believes the new stadium is the best in the history of the tournament, citing its facilities, capabilities, the materials used in its construction and the record time in which it was built.

"We are very happy with the efforts of the organising committee of the tournament, because they are doing a great job," he said. "We have seen the organising committees working day and night to ensure that everything is ready on time.

"The UAE's hosting of this World Cup for the second time makes it the only country in the world other than Brazil to have hosted it more than once," he added.

"The World Cup stadium is a real achievement, having been built in just 25 days. It is also distinguished from any other stadium that has previously hosted the World Cup, based on a number of factors, the most important of which are the engineering method applied to build it, the quality of the material used in its construction, which are the best, and the way the high roofs were prepared."

Traditionally, it takes between 60 and 90 days to build a beach soccer stadium completely, a rule that the "UAE 2024" World Cup stadium has shattered.

Ticket prices for the World Cup matches range from AED2 0 per day session during the early rounds, to AED 30 for the semi-finals, and AED 40 for the final day.