Oman’s national beach soccer team is preparing intensively for the AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup Thailand 2026, set to take place in Phang Nga from November 18 to 28. The tournament draw, conducted on September 10 at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, placed Oman in Group C alongside the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Uzbekistan.
Recognized as one of Asia’s top teams, Oman currently holds the 10th position in the global Beach Soccer Worldwide rankings, ranking third in Asia behind Iran and Japan, and first among Arab nations. The Asian Cup will also serve as a qualifier for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2027, with only three spots allocated to the continent, increasing the stakes for all participating teams.
Abdullah al Saadi, manager of Oman’s national beach soccer team, acknowledged the competitive nature of Oman’s group, highlighting the challenge posed by regional rivals UAE and Saudi Arabia, as well as Uzbekistan, which remains less familiar. He pointed to Saudi Arabia’s recent progress as particularly notable, citing their strong performance at the Sanya Beach Games in April. Al Saadi emphasized the importance of finishing top in their group to avoid an early quarterfinal meeting with the defending champions Iran.
Oman approaches the tournament with a solid recent record. The team was runner-up at the 2025 AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup, also hosted in Thailand, where they lost to Iran in the final. This marked Oman’s best performance since winning the championship in 2015. The country has consistently reached the later stages of the competition, including semifinal appearances in 2019 and 2023. Earlier this year, Oman earned a silver medal at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, where Iran took gold and Saudi Arabia bronze, underscoring the strength of their Group C opponents.
To prepare for the upcoming tournament, Oman will begin with an internal training camp from October 6 to 12, followed by an overseas camp in Belarus from October 13 to 19. During the Belarus camp, Oman is expected to participate in a friendly tournament with Belarus and the UAE, featuring two friendly matches. Upon returning, the team will continue training in Muscat, including plans to host another national team for warm-up matches. Oman will travel to Thailand on November 12 for a final preparatory camp before the tournament’s opening.
The format of the competition advances the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams to the quarterfinals, a milestone Oman aims to surpass en route to securing one of Asia’s three World Cup qualifying spots.