Play your way to Russia in the KIA Champ into the Arena amateur 5-a-side soccer tournament

Football fans in Johannesburg can play their way to Russia in the Kia Champ into the Arena South African national final leg of the global amateur 5-a-side soccer tournament on 7 May at the Discovery Soccer Park in Illovo.

The winning team will get to play in the Kia Champ into the Arena world finals in Russia during the 2017 Fifa Confederations Cup from 17 June to 2 July, which will be a precursor tournament to the Fifa 2018 World Cup.

The Kia Champ into the Arena is a global partnership with Fifa and the motor company’s distributors from all over the world, which will host 5-a-side soccer tournaments in their respective markets in search of the best amateur football team.

The winning team from each country then moves on to the world finals, where they will compete against the winning sides from other participating countries for the ultimate glory of being crowned global champions.

Local regional tournaments will consist of one tournament per region with the top six teams competing in the national final, which will take place at Discovery Soccer Park on 7 May.

The regional tournaments open with the Johannesburg leg on 9 April at the Discovery Soccer Park at the Wanderers Club in Illovo, with the Durban leg on 23 April at Stella Action Soccer Arena in Glenwood, and the last leg in Cape Town on 29 April at Hellenic Greek Club in Sea Point.

The tournament is for all players over the age of 18, with each team limited to entering six players, which consists of five players and one reserve.

Campaign ambassador Moeneeb Josephs will once again be involved in this year’s tournament, as will Bidvest Wits coach Gavin Hunt, who will fine-tune the national winners in the weeks leading up to the global finals, ensuring that the team steps up their training, technical skills and execution.

Read: Do’s and don’ts when you’re stuck in traffic this Easter

Like the Alex News Facebook page to post your comments.