FIFA Beach Soccer Referee Stefan Pace has been designated by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) to officiate during the last group stage of the 2014 European Beach Soccer League (EBSL) to be held in Siófok, Hungary, from the 8th to 10th August. This will be his international debut.
Siófok has already hosted the Hungarian Student Olympics two months ago, which included beach soccer in the competitions. Matches will be played in the MLSZ Beach Aréna Siófok which is perfectly situated in the heart of Siófok and on the banks of a beautiful beach.
Twelve national teams will be participating, all with hopes of securing a spot in either the Promotion Final or the Superfinal. The competition format is as follows:
Division A consists of Germany, Italy, Portugal, and Ukraine who will battle it out to determine the seeds and to see who will be booking their tickets to Torredembarra (in the Catalonian province of Tarragona, Spain) for the Superfinal;
Division B side consists of 8 teams in two groups of four: Group 1 includes hosts Hungary along with Andorra, the Czech Republic, and England; while Group 2 is made up of Austria, Bulgaria, Norway, and Turkey. Every team in Division B, playing in one event, has the chance to qualify for the Promotion Final.