2018 Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup
The 2018 Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup, also known as the Huawei Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup Dubai 2018 for sponsorship reasons, was the eighth edition of the Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup, an annual international beach soccer tournament contested by men's national teams.
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | United Arab Emirates |
| City | Dubai |
| Dates | 6–10 November |
| Teams | 8 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Iran (2nd title) |
| Runners-up | Russia |
| Third place | Brazil |
| Fourth place | Egypt |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Goals scored | 186 (9.3 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Fedor Zemskov (9 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Rodrigo |
| Best goalkeeper | Hamid Behzadpour |
Held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates since its inception, this year's event occurred between 6 and 10 November. The tournament was organised by the Dubai Sports Council (DSC) and Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW).
After the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, the Intercontinental Cup is the biggest tournament in the current international beach soccer calendar. Similar to the FIFA Confederations Cup, eight nations will take part, with one team representing each of the six continental football confederations as well as the current World Cup champions, Brazil, and the hosts, the United Arab Emirates.
The tournament started with a round robin group stage. The winners and runners-up from each group advanced to the knockout stage, a series of single-elimination matches, beginning with the semi-finals and ending with the final. Consolation matches were also played to determine other final rankings.
The season-ending Beach Soccer Stars awards were also presented in Dubai as a conclusion to the tournament.
Brazil were the defending champions but lost to Russia in the semi-finals, ultimately finishing third; the defeat ended a 66-game winning streak for Canarinhos, their last loss dating back to the 2015 World Cup (also against Russia). Iran beat Russia in the final to claim their second Intercontinental Cup crown.