PTV - Iran has advanced to the semi finals of the Asian qualifiers for the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup after overcoming the Chinese squad in the group stage of the tournament.

The Iranians, who had earlier overwhelmed Iraq and the Philippines 10-0 and 20-0 respectively, registered a 4-2 victory against the Chinese on Thursday in their final group match played at the Katara Beach in the Qatari capital of Doha.

Moslem Mesigar struck twice for Iran, while Ali Naderi and Mohammad Mokhtari produced a goal each.

The Iranian team will play against the United Arab Emirates in the semi finals on Friday.

The Asian soccer beach qualifiers started in Doha on January 22 and will wrap up on January 26. The games involved four groups with the group winners advancing to the semi finals.

The two finalists and the third-place playoff winner will qualify for the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which will be held from September 18-28, 2013, in Papeete on the southern Pacific island of Tahiti.

Iran and Japan are two favorites in Asia to qualify for the international sports event.

The winner of the Asian qualifiers for the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup will receive a cash prize of 12, 000 Qatari Riyals (QAR), equal to some USD 3,300 and the runner-up gets QAR 8,000 (nearly USD 2,200). The third-place finisher will be awarded QAR 5,000 (roughly USD 1,380).