MIAMI, USA — The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) has announced that the draw for the 2013 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship will take place at the Atlantis Paradise Island Hotel in Nassau, The Bahamas, next Tuesday, April 23, at 1:00 pm (EST).

CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb will preside over the draw procedure, to be performed by Confederation General Secretary Enrique Sanz and observed by Director of Competitions Horace Reid.

President Webb is honoured to also join The Bahamian Football Association President Anton Sealey and General Secretary Frederick Lunn for the event.

The 2013 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship will be celebrated in Nassau, May 8-12, marking the first time the regional championship has been played in the Caribbean.

This year’s tournament will be the largest in Confederation beach soccer history, featuring all eight squads from the 2011 Championship, in addition to three debutant sides, making for 11 total teams from across the CONCACAF region. That number marks an all-time high in terms of participation in the competition, and nearly doubles the number of competing teams from the opening edition of the championship six years ago.

“The widespread interest in this tournament provides confirmation of the growth of beach soccer throughout the Confederation, contributing to the strengthening of our sport across disciplines,” said Webb. “It pleases me to note that the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship is set to be held for the first time in the Caribbean, an area where the sport continues to makes great strides.”

Nations competing for the chance to represent CONCACAF in this year’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Papeete, Tahiti, include host nation The Bahamas, and 2011 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup semi-finalist El Salvador, as well as defending CONCACAF champion Mexico. Rounding out the field are debutants Guyana, Puerto Rico and Trinidad and Tobago, along with returnees Canada, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Jamaica, and the United States.