Beer, football and the summer sun – that's one way to spend the weekend.

Foreign embassies and Chinese ministries in Beijing had a mini-World Cup on Saturday. 180 football fans – mostly diplomats from different nations – participated in this year's "Beijing International Club" Cup.

Yuan Weimin, director of the Beijing's diplomat service bureau, welcomed 12 teams for this year's international friendly tournament.

Team Japan was there for their debut.

"The vibe of the tournament is very enthusiastic. Thanks to the organizers for inviting us to this grand event. And we hope to participate the games in the years to come," said IIDA Hirobumi, minister for commercial affairs at the Japanese embassy.

The new players in town say they will give their best. But for the French embassy, who ended fourth last year, giving the best is not enough. Like many, the blue army is there for the win.

"We play every Tuesday. So we know each other and we are going to win today. Definitely," said the team, pointing at the two stars on their World Cup jerseys. "We are going to add the third star to the shirt."

Although the teams seem quite serious about winning the championship, it's actually not always about competition. Organizers hope the games can boost mutual understanding — through football and sportsmanship.

The Spanish, the two-time champions of the friendlies, failed to make a hat-trick this year. But the players say they had plenty of fun besides defending the title.

"Drinking while watching the games is also pleasing. We are from different nations, but in the field, we speak one universal language, and that is football," said Fernando Perez, a player on the team.

The British team made it into the final for the third time, hoping to claim top spot this year.

"It's a great opportunity for us to network, to get to know each other, to understand better about your culture, our culture all through the shared passion of football," said Jack Davies, captain of the British team.

The Venezuela embassy won the final with a sweeping three-to-one. While they celebrated the victory, for the other teams, there is always food, beer and next year.