Players of Iran celebrate after winning the Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup final against Spain in Dubai on Saturday.

Defending champions Iran defeated Spain 6-3 to retain the 2019 Dubai Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup title. The holders outplayed their rivals in the final played at Jumeirah’s Kite Beach in Dubai on Saturday.

Iran won the competition for the third time, having won it twice in 2013 and 2018.

Mostafa Kiani (penalty), Saeid Piramoun, Mohammad Mokhtari, Hamid Behzadpour, Mohammad Ahmadzadeh and Mohammad Masoumizadeh scored for the Iranians while.

Llorenc, Eduard and Adrian (penalty) were on target for the Spaniards.

Waleed Beshr scored a brace as UAE edged past three-time champions Russia 2-1 to finish third.

Earlier, Japan cruise past Egypt to claim their best ever finish in the tournament. In their two previous appearances in the Intercontinental Cup, Japan had only managed seventh place, and although they were already guaranteed a better position, they didn’t hold back in taking fifth.

Who else but Ozu to blast in the first after four minutes, then Yamauchi and Okuyama pushed the lead to three going into the second period. A Costa’s own goal made it four soon after the restart and even when Shika hit Egypt’s first, Matsuda was on hand to send a low shot zipping into the net for five.

Shika slid a second into an unguarded net for the Pharaohs but Oba pounded in his fifth of the tournament, equaling Gori and Akbari’s total at the top, and Matsuo put away a seventh for Ruy Ramos’ men to clinch a more-than convincing fifth place.

The Azzurri rounded off their time in Dubai with a tight win over Mexico who finish in eighth.

Neither side had enjoyed great form in their 2019 campaigns in the Intercontinental Cup, but they weren’t about the turn down the chance of a final-day win.

Giordani muscled into the box to put away an opener for Italy, which saw them lead at the break, and then Zurlo doubled that advantage in the second period.

The Mexicans woke up a little as Rodriguez and Macias pulled it back to 2-2 but a late Zurlo penalty wrapped up the win for Italy as they take seventh place.

Meanwhile, the calendar for next season was unveiled at the Dubai Sports Council headquarters on the final day of the Intercontinental Cup

Beach soccer coaches, players and stakeholders attended a presentation at the DSC office to discuss the coming season, as well as changes to the rules of beach soccer.

Senior officials from Beach Soccer Worldwide shared many new and exciting announcements concerning the coming year.  

Joan Cusco, vice-President of BSWW, said: “We didn’t plan the calendar just for 2020, but also for 2021, because Russia will host the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in July of 2021.

“There is already talk of a potential second edition of the World Beach Games coming in 2021. Depending on where the next event is, the qualifiers should also be in 2020.

“We would like to expand the Euro Beach Soccer League but, with these things in mind, all the qualifiers might make it difficult.”

He then turned to the game itself and proposed developments.

“We need to continue to improve our audience and we are already seeing signs of it. On Friday at the Intercontinental Cup matchday four there were 700 people who were turned away from the stadium because it was so full. I think this is the first time that we’ve had such numbers in Dubai.”

Cusco also had exciting news for the women’s game. “We are planning to make a women’s world championships, which one day could have the potential to become the Women’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.”