MAIMI – Concacaf Thursday announced that Costa Rica will host the 2021 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship.

The World Cup qualifying competition will take place in Alajuela, Costa Rica May 17-23.

“This year is the Costa Rican Football Federation’s 100 year anniversary and we offer them our sincere congratulations on reaching such a hugely important milestone. We know they will do a fantastic job hosting the Concacaf Beach Soccer competition this year in what is sure to be a celebration of football,” Concacaf general secretary Philippe Moggio said in a statement

“At the Costa Rican Football Federation, we feel very happy with Concacaf for the trust they have placed in our country, granting us the opportunity to host the region’s 2021 Beach Soccer Championship,” added Concacaf vice president and FEDEFUTBOL President Rodolfo Villalobos. “It will be a pleasure to receive the participating teams in Costa Rica, a country of peace and solidarity, and at the same time, give our Beach Soccer Team the opportunity to play at home.”

The tournament will be played in its entirety at the Complejo Deportivo FEDEFUTBOL Plycem, in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

The 12 Concacaf countries that will participate are (in alphabetical order): Bahamas, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands and United States.

For the group stage, the 12 participating teams will be divided into three groups of four teams each. After round-robin play between May 17-19, the first and second place finishers in each group and the two best third-place finishers will advance to the knockout stage.

The knockout stage will begin with the quarterfinal matches May 21, followed by the semifinals on May 22. In addition to qualifying for the competition’s final, the two semifinal winners will earn a spot in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Russia 2021. The final is scheduled for May 23.

The official draw which will determine the groups will take place Monday, March 8 at 11 a.m. ET from the Concacaf headquarters here.

Fans will be able to follow the draw on Concacaf.com, as well as on the Confederation’s Facebook page, YouTube Channel and Official App. The free mobile app is available in the Apple and Google Play stores.

Further details on the competition, including the schedule, will be announced after the draw.

The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is scheduled to take place in Moscow, Russia Aug. 19-29. Six countries will participate.

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.