Going on right now in Marseille, France is the 2008 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. I wasn't even aware of this event until a few days ago, and although it merits very little attention in the American sports media I thought I'd highlight it a little bit.
The group play stages are over now and the stage is set for the quarterfinals. Portugal will face Uruguay, Brazil will take on Russia, France will battle Italy, and Spain will play Argentina. Like the European Championships in June, each of these teams has advanced through their group of four teams, claiming one of the top two spots in the group and is now in the quarterfinals.
Beach soccer differs from normal soccer in that there are only five players on the field for both teams, and the field is obviously much smaller. Also no footwear is worn, although players may use elastic bindings to protect their feet.
As far as I can tell there are normally many more goals scored in beach soccer and some of them are quite spectacular. So if you get the chance, swing by fifa.com and check out some of the beach soccer world cup highlights and root for your favorite team to triumph and claim the title. Go Spain!
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