International Friendship Cup tournament on beach football started in Minsk

The Sand Dune Beach Sports Center opened in January 2026. The main task of the facility is to provide conditions for training national teams in beach football and beach volleyball. The current Friendship Cup, which gathered the national teams of Belarus, Iran and Oman on one sand, became the first international tournament to host a new venue.

For almost nine months of work, the center has proven itself perfectly. In the SOC "Olympic", on the basis of which the "Sand Dune" is located, noted that the object is easy to manage. The temperature of the sand can be adjusted according to the wishes. Our athletes are comfortable playing at 22 to 23 degrees. But the maximum heating can reach 48 degrees. Similarly, the warm air supply is regulated to ensure comfortable conditions for training and competition. At the same time, the venue is in demand not only by football players - it is actively visited by volleyball players. The reviews are positive. At the same time, the room is completely closed, and direct sunlight is excluded. Also on the site used a special varietal sand produced in Gomel. It differs from the usual form and method of production: it is obtained by explosion and crushing, and grains of sand have a cubic shape. This is the kind of sand that the federation recommends. Real beach sand, on the contrary, is round, because over time it grinds under the influence of waves.

The high level of equipment of the Sand Dune was also noted by the head coach of the Belarusian beach football team Nikolas Alvarado. According to him, the condition of the court meets the highest standards - now they must meet the players:

- We have perfect conditions. Now this training infrastructure that we have is one of the best in the world. This also applies to the nearby outdoor stadium. Of course, we have everything we need to prepare. Now all that matters is the desire to train and work. Those who created these conditions made every effort so that we could fully prepare and show high results. And we really have a desire to make the most of the opportunities and work out what we have to do.

The Belarusians have already got a chance to prove themselves on the home sand in confrontation with strong rivals. The teams of Iran and Oman have repeatedly participated in the world championships and at the moment are in the top ten ranking of the strongest teams in the world, occupying sixth and tenth places respectively. Our squad is located higher - it closes the top 4. The backbone of our national team participates in the Friendship Cup tournament, regularly performing at major international competitions. However, the coaching staff called the team and young players. The team included Maxim Yablonsky, who turned 19 in early October, as well as 18-year-old goalkeeper Nikita Melnichenko. Despite his young age, Nikita already has experience playing for the national team: his debut took place at the age of 16 at the Euroleague stage in Batumi last summer. For the first time, invitations to the national squad were received by Daniil Belsky and Ivan Sarochinsky from Molodechno - both born in 2007.

Last night, the Belarusians played with the team of Oman (8:5), and the results of the international tournament will be summed up on Sunday. On this day, at 17:00, the national teams of Belarus and Iran will meet in the final match. After the game there will be an award ceremony.