GUYANA will play in Group D of the (CONCACAF) Beach Soccer Championship, which will take place in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, May 13–19, following yesterday’s draw at the Calle Independencia, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

The 2019 edition of the biannual CONCACAF tournament, which will be held with the support of the Municipal Government of Puerto Vallarta, will have the participation of the 16 best national beach soccer teams in the region – Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Belize, Bonaire, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, the Turks and Caicos Islands, the United States and the US Virgin Islands.

The two best-ranked teams in the competition will ensure qualification for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019.

In Group A, Mexico, the home side, will face Costa Rica, Jamaica and Guatemala. Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands and the US Virgin Islands are in Group B, while in Group C, United States will face opposition from Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda and Bonaire.

After round-robin play, the first- and second- place finishers of each group will advance to the quarter-finals, whose winners will advance to the semi-finals. Semi-final winners will automatically qualify for the tournament’s final, as well as the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019.

Guyana will open their campaign against El Salvador on May 14, followed by a clash with Guadeloupe on May 15 and will close their Group D round of matches against Belize on May 16.

In the last edition of the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship in The Bahamas, Panama overcame Mexico in the final, to win their first Beach Soccer title.

In 2017, Guyana’s Jamal Haynes walked away with the Scotiabank Young Player Award, as the 21-year-old Haynes impressed fans, players and officials with a dazzling array of skills and goals.

Guyana defeated Belize 4-1 in the group stage and Antigua & Barbuda 6-4 in the placement stage to end 12th out of 16 teams.

Playing up front for most of the tournament, Haynes scored a hat-trick in the win against Antigua & Barbuda, including one of the goals of the tournament – a spectacular overhead kick that soared into the top corner.