CHICAGO — Having first ventured into the world of beach soccer over a decade ago, former UC Santa Barbara Men's Soccer player Nick Perera is set to continue his illustrious career on the sand at the 2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Dubai in February. Perera, the U.S. Beach Men's National Team's captain and all-time leading scorer, is set to match or break multiple American records at this year's tournament, which runs from Feb. 15-25.
The Carlsbad native's inclusion on the 12-man roster has already seen him match one record, as Perera becomes one of just four Americans to represent their country at four Beach Soccer World Cups, having done so previously in 2013, 2019 and 2021. Should he feature in all three of the group stage matches this year, Perera would break the American record for World Cup caps (11), currently held by Head Coach Francis Farberoff. His 94 career appearances in all competitions for the Beach MNT are second all-time. Perera, already the Beach MNT's all-time leading scorer (114), could also take over the record for World Cup goals — nine — at this tournament. He currently has seven.
Beyond his World Cup appearance record, Perera is no stranger to tournament play, whether on sand or grass. A Gaucho from 2005-2008, the forward played a key role in UC Santa Barbara's 2006 NCAA National Championship run, scoring three goals, including the opener in the Championship Match against UCLA, being named the Most Outstanding Offensive Player.
Seven years after winning the national title with the Gauchos, Perera won his first trophy on the sand, scoring a tournament-high 11 goals to lead the U.S. Beach MNT to the 2013 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, qualifying them for the 2013 Beach Soccer World Cup. A decade later, in 2023, Perera led the U.S. to another CONCACAF beach crown, winning the Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. That CONCACAF triumph qualified the U.S. for this year's World Cup, where they will look to advance out of their group for the first time ever.
The U.S. opens Group A play on Feb. 15 against the reigning European champions and one of the tournament favorites, Italy, in what will be a first-ever meeting between the U.S. and the Azzuri. The Beach MNT then faces hosts UAE on Feb. 17 and rounds out group play against Egypt on Feb. 19. Like the U.S., the UAE has never advanced past the group stage, and Egypt is appearing at its first ever Beach Soccer World Cup. If the U.S. does advance, they will face one of the teams in Group B — Spain, Iran, Tahiti or Argentina.
