- Took over as Venezuela's coach in 2024 and will face his first big challenge in Chile.
- Brings extensive experience in beach soccer.
Xan Lamigueiro was appointed head coach of Venezuela’s national team in September 2024. The Spaniard has a long history in the sport, having managed Napoli Patrón BSC (Greece) and Vilaflor (Portugal), as well as serving as an assistant coach for the national teams of China and the United Arab Emirates.
- This will be your first major tournament coaching Venezuela. What is the objective?
The goal is to compete in every match, to be as competitive as possible. We want to improve on the mistakes we made in the last tournament and apply as many of the offensive and defensive strategies we’ve been working on in training as possible.
- Is qualifying for the World Cup an unrealistic goal?
I believe it is. You can always dream—after all, that’s what drives any job, passion, or sport. But we have to be coherent and realistic: Venezuela had been inactive for a long time. We’re just starting this project, and while we’re happy with our work, we’re facing teams that have been building long-term projects. They have the same coaching staff for years, young players who are now 26, 27, 28—the perfect age to reach their peak. It’s tough because we have to match six, seven, or eight years of work from teams like Paraguay, which hosted a World Cup, or Colombia, which has been consistently competing. But that doesn’t mean we won’t try to compete in every match and ensure this isn’t just an experience. We’re here to compete so we can dream.
- From a technical and tactical standpoint, what has the team improved on over the past months?
I can’t reveal too much (laughs) because other coaches gather a lot of information. It’s not really a secret, but before, the team was all about running. It was difficult to control the game, and sometimes we would lose matches that were almost won because we couldn’t close them out. On the other hand, sometimes we’d be considered out of the match, and through sheer grit, chaos, and fighting spirit, we’d manage to turn the game around. That was my analysis before taking over. Our idea is to have a bit more control—to manage games when things are going well and to stay calm when things aren’t going our way so we can turn them around.
Xan is passionate about beach soccer. He discovered the sport at age 23 in Vigo in 2000 when a friend invited him to play: “Honestly, I can say it was one of the luckiest moments of my life.” One aspect of beach soccer that he believes should be more valued is its importance in youth development: “Playing on sand is a sport that practically doesn’t cause injuries. It also offers great cognitive training due to the way the ball bounces and the movements involved.”
- What is your analysis of the group you’ve been drawn into for the tournament in Chile?
We have to be realistic: of the two groups, ours is the toughest. Argentina just played in the World Cup, Brazil is the reigning world champion, and Paraguay—although they missed the last World Cup—has World Cup experience, hosted a World Cup, and has a young squad. Then there’s Peru and us. That’s not to take anything away from the other group, which has Colombia, another recent World Cup participant, Uruguay, which has played in multiple World Cups, and Ecuador, a team we faced recently, and the match went to extra time. Every team is tough, but this year, in this draw, I believe our group is the strongest.
- What do you think makes beach soccer so appealing to fans?
Beach soccer is a sport that, even if you don’t know the rules, you sit down to watch and immediately fall in love with it. The actions are spectacular. The match length is another key factor—nowadays, it seems like people get bored easily, and anything over an hour loses their attention. Beach soccer, with 12-minute periods, gives you time to relax, there’s music, and the dynamic nature of the sport keeps you engaged.
Venezuela will play the tournament’s opening match against Paraguay on February 22.
