Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or sand soccer, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand between two teams of five players each.

Association football has long been played informally on beaches. Beach soccer was introduced in 1992 as an effort to codify rules for the game by the founders of Beach Soccer Worldwide, a company set up to develop the sport and responsible for the majority of its tournaments. FIFA has held the Beach Soccer World Cup biennially since 2005.

The first international matches were played in 1993 for men and 2009 for women. there are 193 men's and 64 women's clubs and 101 men's and 23 women's national teams sorted in the Beach Soccer Worldwide Rankings.

History

Beach soccer or sand football ( or ) originated in Brazil, more precisely in Rio de Janeiro in the mid-20th century. In 1950, the first official tournament was created to unify small neighborhood tournaments that happened since 1940. It has grown to be an international game. The participation of international players such as Eric Cantona, Júnior, Romário and Zico has helped to expand the sport's popularity worldwide.

FIFA became the global governing body of the sport in 2005 and organized the first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The 2006 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship served as a qualification tournament for the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The CONCACAF tournament saw the United States emerge victorious, defeating Canada in the final. It played a key role in the development of beach soccer within the region, showcasing emerging talent and promoting the sport's growth.

FIFA has recognized Beach Soccer Worldwide as the major entity behind the creation and growth of beach soccer, forming a "highly promising" partnership that was seen "in its full splendour" in the 2005 World Cup, held in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro. France won the first World Cup, and the next year Brazil won it at the same venue. The World Cup has continued to flourish with the first held outside of Brazil in 2008 and future World Cups spreading as far out as Tahiti in 2013 and Portugal in 2015.

In the late 2010s, significant strides were made in the development of beach soccer in the United States. A team based in South Florida called the Florida Beach Soccer FC, coached by former professional soccer player Chris Antonopoulos along with other beach soccer national team players like Francis Farberoff, Benyam Astorga and Oscar Gil, achieved success on the national and international stages, including a victory at the North American Sand Soccer Championships (NASSC) in 2011 and again in 2012.

The NASSC gained international prominence with the participation of FC Barcelona's beach soccer team, which clinched titles in 2015 and 2017. This period also saw increased participation in high-profile events such as the Clearwater Beach Soccer Tournament, part of the Major Beach Soccer National Championship Series sponsored by the United Soccer League, which bolstered the sport's visibility and competitiveness.

Women's beach soccer

thumbnail|right|Women's beach soccer game at YBF 2010 in [[Yyteri Beach, Pori, Finland]]

In Europe, the Women's Euro Beach Soccer Cup and Women's Euro Winners Cup were first held in 2016, whereas the Women's Euro Beach Soccer League debuted in 2021. In addition, the 2019 World Beach Games had a women's beach soccer tournament, and a Women's Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup was held in 2021. The North American Sand Soccer Championships introduced women's beach soccer in 2019.

As of 2026, FIFA and continental confederations do not host major women's world championships, though regional events persist. The Asian Beach Games, European Games, and South American Beach Games lack women's beach soccer. Recent developments include the Women's Americas Winners Cup in El Salvador (2025, won by São Pedro for the third consecutive time), Women's Euro Beach Soccer League in Nazaré (2024), and pro divisions in tournaments like Fort Lauderdale Beach (2026). Youth and amateur events, such as Beach Soccer Cape Cod (2026 girls) and Beach Soccer Cup Cavallino (2026).

Rules

The rules of beach soccer are based on the Laws of the Game of association football, with some modifications. Goal clearances (the equivalent of goal kicks) are taken by the goalkeepers using their hands to throw or release the ball. A goal cannot be scored directly from a goal clearance. If the score is level at the end of regular time, the match goes into a three-minute period of extra time, followed, if necessary, by a penalty shoot-out. As in association football, each team takes five penalty kicks alternately. If the score remains level after five kicks by each team, the shoot-out proceeds to sudden death, with the teams taking one kick each until one team scores and the other does not. However, as in futsal, this period of numerical advantage ends early if the penalised team concedes a goal. He has scored 88 goals across FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups (most all-time) and won the Golden Ball twice (2005, 2006), the Golden Shoe three times (2005, 2006, 2008), and a record 11 individual awards overall.

Brazil

  • Bruno Xavier — BSWW Best Player (2014); multiple-time FIFA award nominee/winner; dynamic forward central to Brazil's successes.
  • Mauricinho — BSWW Best Player (2017); standout performer in recent years.
  • Júnior Negão — All-time top scorer in some eras (72 World Cup goals); legendary forward and pioneer.
  • Others: Benjamin, Neném, Rodrigo (recent FIFA Golden Ball winner).

Portugal

  • Madjer — Considered greatest player of all time.
  • Jordan Santos — BSWW Best Player (2019); key in Portugal's 2015 and 2019 World Cup wins.
  • Bê Martins — BSWW Best Player (2022, 2024); versatile midfielder/forward with recent dominance.
  • Others: Alan (all-time high World Cup goals for Portugal), Belchior.

Spain

  • Ramiro Amarelle — Pioneer and one of the most influential; top-ranked by peers for leadership and skill in the early professional era.
  • Llorenç Gómez (born 1991) — BSWW Best Player (2018); prolific forward nearing 1,000 career goals before injury-forced retirement.

U.S. and North American standouts

  • Francis Farberoff (USA) — MVP of the 2006 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship; former head coach of the U.S. national team.
  • Nick Perera (USA) — All-time U.S. leading scorer (114 goals in 94 caps); captain and key in regional successes.
  • Alessandro Canale (USA) — Top World Cup performer for U.S. (multiple goals); one of the most capped.
  • Chris Toth (USA) — Longtime goalkeeper nearing/exceeding 100 caps; reliable in qualifiers and World Cups.
  • Others: Ben Astorga (early standout, record CONCACAF goal), Eddie Soto, Gabe Silveira (2023 U.S. Player of the Year), Ricardo Carvalho (recent U.S. standout), Nico Perea.

Other countries

  • Noël Ott (Switzerland, born 1994) — FIFA Golden Ball (2021); BSWW Rising Star (2014); one of the most decorated non-Brazilian/Portuguese/Spanish players.
  • Ozu Moreira (Japan) — BSWW Best Player (2021); FIFA Golden Ball; standout in Asia's rise.
  • Gabriele Gori (Italy) — Prominent top scorer in FIFA World Cup eras.
  • Dejan Stankovic (Switzerland) — Multiple honors; key figure despite inconsistent team success.

Former professional football stars who transitioned

  • Romário (Brazil) — FIFA World Cup.
  • Eric Cantona (France) — Played for years, captaining France in events like the 2001 World Championship.
  • Zico (Brazil)
  • Others: Júnior (Brazil, also a coach and legend award recipient), Julio Salinas (Spain), Michel (Spain), Matt Le Tissier (England), Franco Causio,(Italy) Chris Antonopoulos (USA), Claudio Gentile (Italy), and the Van de Kerkhof twins.

See also

  • Beach handball
  • Beach rugby
  • Beach volleyball
  • Footvolley
  • Futsal
  • Street football
  • Teqball

References

Results database

  • beach SOCCER RESULTS (1993–2019)
  • Beach Soccer Worldwide (1993–2020)
  • All-time results (2021-Ongoing)
  • The Roon Ba (2010–2023)
  • The Roon Ba (2010–2023)
  • The Roon Ba (2010–2020)
  • Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) - FIFA.com (Results in Team Profile)
  • Laws of the Game at FIFA
  • Beach Soccer Worldwide
  • Beach Soccer Coaching Manual