Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup 2024: Schedule, results, start time, TV channel, stream as tournament kicks off in Dubai

THE Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup is upon us as sixteen of the best teams in the world come together to win the biggest prize in the sport.

This year’s competition will take place in Dubai for the second time having previously taken place there in 2009.

The Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup is taking place in DubaiCredit: Getty

Russia are the current holders, having won the competition on home soil back in 2021 – defeating Japan 5-2 in the final.

However, they won’t be defending their crown with all Russian teams barred from competing in Fifa competitions.

There are some strong teams taking part in this year’s competition with European champions Italy strong favourites to win the competition.

The Azzuri have recent Fifa Best Men’s Goalkeeper award winner Leandro Casapieri in their team.

Brazil and Portugal are the current top ranked sides in the world.

Spain, who are ranked fourth, only qualified for the tournament after Ukraine withdrew in protest at Belarus – a Russian ally – being allowed to compete.

Italy are among the favourites to win the tournamentCredit: Getty

What are the rules of the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup?

The main rules of the sport is that there are five players on each team.

Seven substitutes are allowed to be named on every matchday with an unlimited amount of substitutions allowed to take place.

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A typical beach soccer match is 36 minutes long in total with games being split over three 12-minute periods.

Three-minute breaks are then put in place for each period with the game clock paused if there is a stoppage in play because of an injury, foul or a goal scored.

There is no offside rule in the sport, while players are not allowed to score directly from kick-offs.

Players can decide whether to take throw-ins – or kick-ins – with either their hands or feet.

When is the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup?

The Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup will start on Thursday, February 15, with the final taking place on Sunday, February 25.

All of the matches at the tournament will take place at the Dubai Design District Stadium.

What TV channel is the Fifa Beach Soccer World Cup on and can it be live streamed?

The tournament is NOT available on UK television with no channel picking up the rights.

However, every game will be live streamed for FREE on the FIFA+ website, which is available in the UK.

US viewers can watch the tournament on the FOX Sports network.