AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup explained

Organiser:AFC
Number Of Teams:~16
Qualifier For:FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
Region:Asia
Current Champions: (3rd title)
Most Successful Team:

(3 titles each)
Website:afc.com
Current:2023 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup

The AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup is the main championship for beach soccer in Asia, contested between the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the sport's version of the better known AFC Asian Cup in association football.

The winners of the championship are crowned continental champions; the tournament also acts as the qualification route for Asian nations to the upcoming edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Coinciding with the annual staging of the World Cup, the competition took place yearly until 2009; the World Cup then became biennial, and as its supplementary qualification event, the championship followed suit.

The championship was established in 2006 after FIFA made it a requirement for all confederations to begin holding qualification tournaments to determine the best national team(s) in their region who would proceed to represent their continent in the upcoming World Cup (previously, nations were simply invited to play, without having to earn their place).[1] FIFA currently allocate Asia three berths at the World Cup[2] and hence top three teams qualify to the World Cup finals.

Asia's governing body for football, the AFC, organise the championship. However, it was not originally an AFC competition – it was created by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW)[3] under the title, FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup AFC qualifier;[4] [5] they organised the first six editions. During this time it also became informally known by the misnomer, the AFC Beach Soccer Championship.[6] In 2015, the AFC adopted the competition and branded it using its informal title in an official capacity; they jointly organised that year's edition with BSWW.[7] Since 2017, the AFC have been sole organisers.[8] For 2021, the competition was renamed as the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup, bringing it in line with the naming of other AFC senior national tournaments.[9]

Japan are the most successful nation with three titles and having also qualified for the World Cup on every occasion.

Results

For all tournaments, the top three teams qualified for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup (except for 2009, when only the top two teams qualified as one of the AFC spots was automatically given to the World Cup hosts, United Arab Emirates).

Year Locationwidth = 1% rowspan=13Final width = 1% rowspan=11Third place play-off
width=15%Winnerswidth=8%Scorewidth=15%Runners-upwidth=15%Third placewidth=8%Scorewidth=15%Fourth place
2006
details
5–36–4
2007
details
Dubai, United Arab Emirates4–36–0
2008
details
Dubai, United Arab Emirates4–34–1
2009
details
Dubai United Arab Emirates4–21–1
2011
details
Muscat, Oman2–16–2
2013
details
Doha, Qatar6–6
3–2
2015
details
Doha, Qatar1–1
8–3
2017
details
Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia7–26–3
2019
details
Pattaya, Thailand2–2
2–2
2021
details
Phuket, ThailandCanceled due to COVID-19 pandemic. Teams to play at the World Cup handpicked by the AFC.[10]
2023
details
Pattaya, Thailand6–0width = 1% rowspan=14–2

Teams reaching the top four

Teamwidth=140TitlesRunners-upThird placewidth=140Fourth placeTotal
bgcolor=goldbgcolor=gold3 (2009, 2011, 2019)6 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2023)1 (2017)10
bgcolor=goldbgcolor=gold3 (2013, 2017, 2023)5 (2006, 2007, 2008, 2011, 2015)1 (2009)9
bgcolor=goldbgcolor=gold2 (2007*, 2008*)2 (2017, 2019)1 (2013)2 (2011, 2023)7
bgcolor=goldbgcolor=gold1 (2015)1 (2011*)2 (2009, 2019)1 (2023)5
bgcolor=goldbgcolor=gold1 (2006)1 (2009)1 (2007)3
2 (2006, 2008)2
2 (2015, 2017)2
1 (2013)1
1 (2019)1

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2006 qualifiers to start in Brazil on 5 March. https://web.archive.org/web/20060513125419/http://www.fifa.com/en/media/index/0,1369,115293,00.html?articleid=115293. dead. 13 May 2006. FIFA. 12 February 2018. 3 March 2006.
  2. Web site: World Cup gets bigger . https://web.archive.org/web/20180215084124/https://www.fifa.com/beachsoccerworldcup/news/y=2005/m=8/news=world-cup-gets-bigger-99858.html . dead . February 15, 2018 . . 12 February 2018 . 25 August 2005 .
  3. Web site: Regulations FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Rio de Janeiro 2006 . fifa.com . 20 April 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070107132659/http://www.fifa.com/documents/tournaments/BSWC2006/FIFA_beach_soccer_world_cup_2006_regulations_en.pdf . January 7, 2007 .
  4. Book: Gaich, Rémi . 11 January 2016 . BSWW competitions / National teams . Barcelona . Beach Soccer Worldwide . 14, 15, 19 .
  5. https://www.beachsoccer.com/events/fifa-beach-soccer-world-cup-2015-afc-qualifier-qatar FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 - AFC Qualifier Qatar
  6. See the following for examples: https://www.socceroos.com.au/news/beach-soccer-squad-put-through-paces-sydney; https://www.emirates247.com/sports/football/uae-face-tahiti-in-beach-soccer-intercontinental-cup-2012-10-18-1.479440; https://www.fifa.com/beachsoccerworldcup/news/asian-giants-face-challenge-doha-1991428; https://gulfnews.com/sport/football/uae-saudi-in-same-group-for-qualifiers-1.1130479; https://www.khaama.com/afgahistan-beat-qatar-7-3-in-asian-beach-soccer-qualifiers-1280/; https://www.the-afc.com/competitions/fifa-world-cup/latest/news/iran-win-asian-beach-soccer-championship-4330.
  7. https://web.archive.org/web/20150425221909/http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_beach_soccer_2015_qualifier_regulations.pdf FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Portugal 2015 – AFC Qualifier Qatar Regulations
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20170830113318/http://www.the-afc.com/uploads/afc/files/afc_beach_soccer_championship_2017-competition_regulations_0.pdf AFC Beach Soccer Championship 2017 Competition Regulations
  9. Web site: AFC rebrands age group championships to AFC Asian Cups. AFC. 2 October 2020.
  10. Web site: "الآسيوي" يبلغ الاتحاد اللبناني بمواعيد بطولاته الجديدة. Lebanese Football Association. 15 January 2021. 16 January 2021. ar.