MIAMI, Dec 19, CMC – The Bahamas will become the first country in the Caribbean region to stage a senior FIFA tournament, when it hosts the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.This follows a meeting of FIFA’s Executive Committee in in Marrakech, Morocco, where the Bahamas’ bid was approved.
“It is an honour and privilege for CONCACAF to welcome such an appropriate tournament to the Caribbean region,” said CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb.
“Congratulations to the Bahamas Football Association for their timely efforts in securing the bid to host the next FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. We wish them all the best in the ongoing preparations for this historic event and look forward to extending the Caribbean’s warmth and hospitality to all qualified teams in 2017.”
In recent years, the Bahamas has hosted several sporting events, such as the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship last year and the IAAF World Relays earlier this year.
However, the BFA said it was thrilled with the latest development, pointing out that hosting the tournament would not only further raise the country’s profile, but also provide a welcome economic boost.
“This is fantastic and welcomed news, not only for the football family of the BFA, but the Bahamas in general,” said Anton Sealey, President of the Bahamas Football Association.
“It is unquestionably a tremendous honour and privilege to be chosen to host a FIFA competition and the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in particular. On behalf of a grateful government and people of The Bahamas, I wish to thank CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb and the FIFA Executive Committee for the confidence reposed in The Bahamas to host this prestigious event, which undoubtedly will accrue tremendous economic benefit to the country.”