Anatoliy Ryabko, at 197 centimetres, will be the tallest player at UAE 2024 Dubai™. The Belarus No10 is followed by IR Iran’s Amirhosein Akbari, Esleider Avila of Colombia and Senegal’s Papa Ndoye (all 195). Mohamed Loha, at 159 centimetres, is the smallest player on duty. Egypt also have the second-shortest player: Elhusseini Taha, who is just a centimetre taller.

Mario Narciso, at 70, will become the oldest coach in FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup history. He is 40 years older than his Colombia counterpart Santiago Alzate, who is staggeringly younger than 10 of United Arab Emirates’ ۱۲ players!

Bruno Torres, 43, will be the oldest player at the tournament. The Portugal defender is older than five of the 16 coaches at UAE 2024 Dubai. The only other players in their 40s will be United Arab Emirates’ Haitham Mohamed (43), Spain duo Dona (41) and Antonio Major (40), and Vadzim Bokach (40) of Belarus.

For the first time in 19 years, a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup will take place without Mao. After winning the Mundialito in October, the goalkeeper lost his place in the Brazil squad to Teleco. Mao’s record of 52 appearances in the competition is not under threat.

Senegal goalkeeper Ousseynou Faye and Oman forward Musallam Al Araimi are, at 19, the only teenagers at the event. Two 15-year-olds have played in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup: Erasmus Ndlovu for South Africa in 2005 and Abu Azeez for Nigeria four years later.

Spain’s Dona and Moslem Mesigar of IR Iran will set a new record for going to FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups the longest time apart: 17 years. Portugal legend Belchior had held the record at 16 years.

Twelve UAE 2024 Dubai players have already won the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Be Martins, Leo Martins, Jordan Santos and Bruno Torres helped Portugal lift the trophy in 2015 and 2019, with Ruben Brilhante, Andre Lourenco aiding in the latter. Bruno Xavier, Catarino, Datinha, Filipe, Mauricinho and Rodrigo triumphed with Brazil in 2017.

Eight of the 16 coaches played in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup: Nico of Belarus, Ali Naderi of IR Iran, Teruki Tabata of Japan, Francisco Cati of Mexico, Mamadou Diallo of Senegal, Cristian Mendez of Spain, Teva Zaveroni of Tahiti and Francis Farberoff of USA. Incredibly, Nico played alongside Mendez for Spain and against all of the others.

Francis Farberoff and Teva Zaveroni will continue their unique distinctions of having gone to every FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in which their nations have participated. The American and the Tahitian have both served as players, assistant coaches and head coaches.

Five UAE 2024 Dubai players have been crowned the Best Player at the Beach Soccer Stars Gala: Bruno Xavier (2014), Mauricinho (2017), Jordan Santos (2019), Ozu Moreira (2021) and Be Martins (2022). Be and Rodrigo are finalists for the 2023 award along with Noel Ott, whose Switzerland side failed to qualify for the world finals.

Two coaches curiously played in another FIFA finals tournament. Moustafa Lotfy scored Egypt’s maiden FIFA Futsal World Cup™ goal, against no less than hosts Spain in 1996, and was on the score-sheet again against Australia. Francisco Cati, for his part, represented Mexico in the same competition in 2012.