Ras Al Khaimah Minifootball World Cup to 'continue legacy' of growing sport's popularity

Organisers of the WMF Minifootball World Cup hope the tournament’s inaugural Middle East edition will attract more fans to the sport when Ras Al Khaimah hosts the event later this year.

The Minifootball World Cup, which features 32 national teams comprising amateur players in six-a-side matches, will be held in the region for the first time from October 26 to November 4.

The biennial event, first staged in 2015, has previously been hosted by the US, Tunisia and Australia, with the US, Czech Republic and Mexico crowned champions in the respective tournaments. The 2021 event was cancelled because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ras Al Khaimah won the bid in March to host the 2023 World Cup, ahead of other shortlisted contenders including Manila and Budapest.

The draw for the 2023 edition was held on Al Marjan Island on Tuesday evening with Sheikh Ahmed bin Saud Al Qasimi, chairman of Ras Al Khaimah Public Services Department in attendance. The UAE, first-time entrants, were placed in Group A alongside Kazakhstan, Ghana and India.

Meanwhile, reigning champions and two-time runners-up Mexico were drawn in Group B with Guatemala, Georgia and Ireland, while 2019 finalists Brazil will contest Group E against Bulgaria, Montenegro and Japan.

Elsewhere, an intriguing Group G pits against one another Azerbaijan, Tunisia, Egypt and Iraq. The UAE will kick off the tournament against India on October 26, with the group stages running until October 31.

Following the most recent Fifa World Cup format, the teams face one another in their respective groups in a round-robin format, with the top two teams from each pool moving on to the last-16 knockout phase. That takes place from November 1-3.

Both the third-place play-off and the final will be