AS the countdown officially begins for the commencement of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF)-ExxonMobil/STAG Beer International Futsal Tournament, Suriname has named a 13-man squad to compete against the eight participating teams.

The ZV All Stars, coached by Bryan Weewee with support from Siergfried Eeersel and Tjark Bel, is scheduled to arrive in Guyana on December 26.

According to a well-placed source, the Surinamese team is a seasoned bunch and competitive in nature, having won the national futsal league in 2017, but is currently ranked fourth.

The four-day tournament will kick off with six matches on December 27. The Surinamese are scheduled to play the fifth match of the evening against a Georgetown All-Stars team.

The other international teams participating in the festival include Morvant Caledonia United from Trinidad and Tobago and a Sao Paulo selection from Brazil.

Apart from Guyana, the other locally participating teams are an East Coast All-Stars, a Linden All-Stars, a Georgetown All-Stars and a West Demerara All-Stars.

The winning team will pocket $1.2 million, while the losing finalist will receive half that amount. Third and fourth placed finishers will pocket $300,000 and $100,000 respectively.