Airton Andrioli and his Bilikiki Boys have been set a dream date with world champions Brazil at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup – Rio de Janeiro 2007 after the official draw at the Palm Beach Hotel in Marseilles.
Russia will face off against Mexico in the official opening match of the third edition of this FIFA competition on the famous Copacabana beach on 2
November. An impressive array of mouth-watering matches were revealed for the ten-day tournament, not least in the opening match Group A where holders Brazil will play Russia as well as
Mexico and the Solomon Islands.
“The draw has revealed the true shape of the competition and the real drama can now begin with the preparations of the 16 teams who will be competing in
the final tournament in Rio de Janeiro. This year’s qualifiers include four teams who have not featured before such as Mexico, Russia, Senegal and the United Arab Emirates, and they will be hungry
for success. What we have seen so far in the qualifiers promises, once again, some superb action on the Copacabana this coming November. I wish all of the players the very best of luck,” said FIFA
General Secretary Jérôme Valcke, who conducted the draw with the assistance of 1998 FIFA World Cup™ winner Christian Karembeu and the event’s general coordinator, Fulvio Danilas. “It has been very
exciting to see so many impressive performances during the European qualifiers here in Marseilles over the past few days and I wish the French team, in particular, a wonderful tournament in Rio.
The venue, Copacabana beach, adds a little extra flavour, and I’m sure that it will be a thrilling competition,” said Karembeu.
The 16 teams have been divided into the following four groups:
Group A: Brazil, Solomon Islands, Russia, Mexico
Group B: USA, Spain, Portugal, Iran,
Group C: Japan, Senegal, Uruguay, Italy
Group D: UAE, France, Nigeria, Argentina
Famous faces who attended the draw included France coach Eric Cantona, FIFA Associations Committee member and president of the French Football Federation
Jean-Pierre Escalettes, FIFA Futsal and Beach Soccer Committee member Joan Cuscó, Dubai Sports Council vice-president Mattar Al Tayer and DSC general secretary Dr Ahmed Al Sharief.
For a full report on the draw and the qualifiers, including quotes from the teams and some famous names as well as the match schedule and more, please
visit the official website, www.FIFA.com.