Kuwait’s Beach Soccer Team Makes Historic Debut in Asian Cup Quarter-Finals

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KUWAIT CITY, March 21: In an exciting match at the Asian Cup held in Thailand, Kuwait’s beach soccer team secured their spot in the quarter-finals and earned a chance to qualify for the World Cup finals. The team triumphed over Kyrgyzstan in a penalty shoot-out, winning 4-3 after the two time periods and the additional draw ended in a 4-4 tie. This historic achievement marks the first time in the team’s history that they have reached this stage of the tournament.

If Kuwait’s beach soccer team succeeds in their next match, they will automatically qualify for the Beach Soccer World Cup finals, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates in November. According to the national team manager, Saud Al-Aoun, the level of competition in this tournament is high, with Iran, Japan, and Oman being the most prominent candidates for qualification.

Al-Aoun emphasized that the current generation of the national team is new, except for the team captain, who has played in previous international matches. He further stated that qualifying for the World Cup finals is a great honor, particularly as beach soccer in Asia is considered the highest level in the world.

The Kuwaiti team began their campaign in the Asian Championship with a resounding 5-0 victory over Palestine before losing to Oman 1-5 in their second match. Today’s win against Kyrgyzstan has revived their hopes of progressing to the finals.

Sixteen teams are participating in the tenth edition of the AFC Beach Soccer Championship 2023, with the Emirates national team already securing a direct qualification as the host country. The continent of Asia has three additional seats in the World Cup, which will be allocated to the teams that take the first three places in the tournament.

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