2008 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
The hosts, the United Arab Emirates qualified for the second time after beating Japan in the final of the championship, 4-3, for the second consecutive year.Iran beat China in the third place play off to claim the third berth at the World Cup for the third year in a row.For the first time since the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualifiers began in 2006, due to the large interest of European nations in beach soccer, UEFA held a tournament dedicated to World Cup qualification in Benidorm, Spain, between, May 11 and May 18, instead of allowing European nations to qualify to the World Cup through the Euro Beach Soccer League.Russia beat Italy in the third place play off, but regardless of the result, both teams qualified to the World Cup, along with the finalists.Brazil and hosts Argentina were the two finalists, meaning they both qualified for the World Cup.