As well as bringing together the region’s top teams, the eighth Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship also serves as a qualifying competition for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019.

The favourites

Mexico and El Salvador have both finished in the top three at the last six CONCACAF Championships, the only two sides to have done so.

Mexico edge the Central Americans in pre-tournament expectations. World Cup participants in 2015 and 2017, they are still coached by Ramon Raya, the man who guided them to a world finals runners-up spot in 2007 and who has made the necessary changes in personnel to keep them competitive.

For their part, El Salvador missed the last two World Cups after finishing third in both qualifying competitions. Boosting their challenge will be the return of two legendary figures in Agustin Ruiz and Frank Velazquez, who collected the adidas Bronze Ball and Boot at Ravenna/Italy 2011, when the Salvadorans surprised everyone by taking fourth place.

Also in the mix are Panama, who unexpectedly came out of the pack to claim the regional title two years ago. Though they have struggled for consistency since appearing at Bahamas 2017, the reigning regional champions have again called on the services of Uruguayan coach Shuber Perez, the architect of their CONCACAF title win. Los Canaleros will head to Puerto Vallarta with the same core of players they took to the last World Cup.