United States take on Italy in Beach Soccer World Cup opener

The 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in the United Arab Emirates kicks off on Thursday with the United States opening their campaign in Group A against Italy at the Dubai Design District Stadium in Dubai.

The U.S. arrive into their seventh Beach Soccer World Cup after claiming the 2023 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship in which they defeated rivals Mexico in the Final.

Nick Perera led the way for the U.S. last May and earned Golden Ball honors as the tournament’s best player. Unfortunately for the U.S., an injury to Perera in the last week means that the veteran attacker will not be available for the World Cup, but there are still plenty of attacking weapons from which to choose.

Alessandro Canale, who will be appearing in his fourth Beach Soccer World Cup, has nine career World Cup goals, while defender Nico Perea tallied four goals for the U.S. three years ago at Russia 2021.

This marks the first ever Beach Soccer World Cup meeting between the U.S. and Italy. The Europeans are in their ninth World Cup and reached Dubai after winning one of the UEFA World Cup play-offs.

In their Beach Soccer World Cup history, the U.S. have never advanced past the group stage, so a victory on Thursday to open the tournament would go a long way toward breaking that drought.