In 2023, the Ukrainian beach football team is expected to participate in six significant tournaments. The contours of the season for the official website of the UAF were outlined by the coach of the blue-and-yellow team, Mykola Kostenko.

Currently, the team has already started preparations, conducting training sessions twice a week at Kyiv's Hydro Park. However, from mid-February, the coaching staff consisting of Mykola Kostenko and Oleksandr Korotykh plans to switch to a three-day training cycle. Thus, the Ukrainian national team will prepare almost until the end of March.

"On paper, the core of our team remains the same as last year. However, four players have returned to us. Oleg Budzko, Viktor Pantelychuk, Oleksandr Poslavskyi, and Dmytro Sobotyuk are back with us again. So now we have four goalkeepers and 16 outfield players training. Plus, three young players from 'VIT' are on trial. The sessions so far are focused on general physical preparation without any special loads — a classic build-up mode," said Mykola Kostenko.

From March 29 to April 9, the blue-and-yellow team has planned an educational-training camp in Turkey, where they may play several friendly matches.

"This is an ideal option for us before the start of the season. The coaching staff has planned a series of training sessions and negotiations are underway with teams that will also be holding their camps there. We are primarily considering a match against Spain's national team, which we prioritize. We are also looking at options to play against Turkish, Polish, and Moldovan teams. It would be great if we could organize a small tournament," emphasized the head coach of Ukraine.

The season itself will begin in mid-spring. From April 24 to 30, European qualification for the World Cup 2023 will take place in Spain, which will be held in the United Arab Emirates. After this, players from our team will prepare for the continuation of their club seasons.

Then, Mykola Kostenko and Oleksandr Korotykh's wards will participate in the 2023 European Games in Krakow, which will run from June 26 to 30. Next, from July 5 to 9, Ukrainians will play in the qualifying tournament for the EuroLeague-2023 Super Final. After this, blue-and-yellow are scheduled to participate in the Ukrainian Championship, which will take place from July 19 to 23 in Kyiv.

Later, our team will compete at the II World Beach Games, taking place from August 6 to 12 on Bali Island, Indonesia. If they successfully qualify for EuroLeague-2023, their boys are expected to participate in its Super Final scheduled for August 23 to 27.

Finally, a positive result at the qualifying tournament for the World Cup 2023 will give Kostenko and Korotykh's wards the chance to compete for medals at the World Cup in the UAE. The World Cup will take place from September 11 to 17.

"We have six major tournaments this season. All of them are very important, but our priority is qualifying for and performing well in the final stage of the World Cup, as well as positive results at the European Games under the auspices of the International Olympic Committee and the World Beach Games, which are a kind of unofficial world championship where top teams from around the globe set their highest goals. Of course, this generates great excitement among fans.

Regarding this year's EuroLeague, where we also have maximum ambitions, some young players may be involved there as it will be quite challenging for our main players in such a packed season. Nevertheless, we will strive to qualify for the Super Final," noted the coach of our team.