2006 Euro Beach Soccer League – Last chance bracket

The 2006 Euro Beach Soccer League – Last chance bracket, simply known as the Last chance bracket was an additional round of the 2006 Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL) that was specially organised to determine the fifth and final European nation that would qualify for the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.[1]

EBSL Last Chance Bracket
Tournament details
Dates24 August – 27 August
Teams12 (from 1 confederation)
Final positions
Champions France
Runners-up  Switzerland
Tournament statistics
Matches played13
Goals scored103 (7.92 per match)
2007

The event was organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW), in parallel with the staging of the 2006 EBSL Superfinal, taking place during the same dates (24–27 August) and in the same location of Marseille, France.

Five berths were allocated to European teams in the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, four of which were filled when Portugal, Spain, Italy and Poland reached the semi-finals of the Superfinal.[2] This meant there was still one final berth at the World Cup to be filled. In order to decide which nation would get this fifth and final spot at the World Cup, BSWW decided the prospective nations would compete in a knockout tournament called the Last chance bracket, with the winner claiming the final World Cup ticket.

France won the event by beating Switzerland in the final and claimed the last remaining World Cup berth.[3]

Teams

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This round of the 2006 EBSL was a distinctly separate and unique event from the regular structure of the league, but nevertheless related to the league since it involved inviting back all the teams previously knocked out of World Cup qualifying contention during this year's EBSL to compete in the event for a second chance at qualification, as well as four wild-card entries, as listed below.


1. Russia initially competed in Division B, but were disqualified from competing any further mid-season.

Results

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The success of teams in this season's EBSL also affected what round the nations began their last chance bracket campaign's in as follows:

  • With the least credentials, the four wild cards and four Division B teams who failed to qualify into Division A, were drawn against each other and started in the first round.
  • With the most credentials, the two Division A nations who failed to make the Superfinal, and the two who were knocked out in the group stage of the Superfinal, received a bye in the first round, and entered straight into the quarter-finals

Main bracket

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First round Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
            
DB9   Germany 2
WC   Hungary 4
B3   Ukraine 4
WC   Hungary 3
B3   Ukraine 0
DA8    Switzerland 4
DB8   Belgium 6
WC   Czech Republic 5
DA8    Switzerland 5
DB8   Belgium 4
A3   France 5
DA8    Switzerland 1
DA7   Greece 4
WC   Montenegro 10
DB5   Netherlands 4
WC   Montenegro 5
WC   Montenegro 3
A3   France 6
A3   France 8
DB7   England 6
DB7   England w/o
WC   Russia

Consolation matches

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5th–8th place consolation matches
   
DA7   Greece 0
DB7   England 4
WC   Hungary 6
DB8   Belgium 4
Key:
A3 This team finished 3rd in group A of the group stage of the Superfinal
B3 This team finished 3rd in group B of the group stage of the Superfinal
DB stands for Division B, followed by their numerical final table position
DA stands for Division A, followed by their numerical final table position
WC indicates a wild-card entry (these teams had not competed in the 2006 EBSL until this point)
w/o Russia withdrew from the competition, therefore England had a walkover into the quarter-finals

Final standings

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Rank Team Notes
    France Qualified to 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
     Switzerland
    Ukraine
4   Montenegro
5   Hungary
6   England
7   Belgium
8   Greece
9   Germany
10   Czech Republic
11   Netherlands
12   Russia

Source

World Cup qualifiers

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The following table shows the five nations qualified to the 2006 World Cup and their qualification route.

Nation Qualification route
1   Spain Superfinal semifinalists
2   Portugal
3   Poland
4   Italy
5   France Last chance bracket Winners

Sources

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  1. ^ "France, Ukraine live up to star billing". fifa.com. 26 August 2006. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.
  2. ^ "Italy, Poland and Spain book Rio places". fifa.com. 24 August 2006. Retrieved 5 August 2017.[dead link]
  3. ^ "France on the road to Rio". fifa.com. 27 August 2006. Archived from the original on August 6, 2017. Retrieved 5 August 2017.