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Beach soccer

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

Women enjoying a beach soccer match during the Yyteri Beachfutis tournament in Pori, Finland.

Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football, or sand soccer, is a fun version of association football played on a beach or sandy area between two teams of five players each.

People have been playing football informally on beaches for a long time. In 1992, beach soccer was officially created with set rules by the founders of Beach Soccer Worldwide, a company that helps organize tournaments for the sport. Since then, FIFA has hosted the Beach Soccer World Cup every two years.

The first international matches for men happened in 1993, and for women in 2009. Today, there are many clubs and national teams around the world competing in beach soccer.

History

See also: Beach Soccer Worldwide

Beach soccer, also called sand football, started in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro, in the middle of the last century. By 1950, the first official beach soccer tournament was created to bring together small local games that had been happening since 1940. The sport grew and became popular around the world, with famous soccer players like Eric Cantona, Júnior, Romário, and Zico helping to spread the game.

People had been playing beach soccer for fun for many years in different ways. In 1992, rules were made for the game, and the first big event was held in Los Angeles by the founders of Beach Soccer Worldwide. By 1993, the first professional beach soccer competition took place in Miami Beach with teams from the United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Italy.

In April 1994, the first beach soccer event shown on network TV was held on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, and the city hosted the first Beach Soccer World Championship in 1995. Brazil won, becoming the first world champions of beach soccer. As the sport grew, more people wanted to watch and support it, leading to the start of the Pro Beach Soccer Tour in 1996.

A beach soccer game at the 2006 Chicago Beach Soccer Invitational

The Pro Beach Soccer Tour had 60 games in its first two years in places like South America, Europe, Asia, and the United States. This tour helped create the European Pro Beach Soccer League in 1998, which made the sport more professional. The league, now called the Euro Beach Soccer League, brought together teams from all over Europe.

During this time, the Beach Soccer Company moved its office to Europe, first to Monaco and then to Barcelona. In 2000, it joined with another group to form Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW). This new group aimed to bring all the big beach soccer tournaments together under one organization.

Over the next few years, the sport kept growing. By 2004, teams from 17 countries were joining in, and more people wanted to watch beach soccer on TV. Big companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald's, and MasterCard started supporting the sport.

In 2005, FIFA became the main organization for beach soccer and organized the first FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The 2006 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship was a qualifying event for the 2006 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The United States won that tournament.

Women's beach soccer game at YBF 2010 in Yyteri Beach, Pori, Finland

FIFA worked closely with Beach Soccer Worldwide, helping the sport grow. The first World Cup was won by France in 2005, and Brazil won it the next year, also in Rio de Janeiro. Since then, the World Cup has been held in many different countries, including Tahiti and Portugal.

In the late 2010s, beach soccer grew in the United States. A team from South Florida, the Florida Beach Soccer FC, won important tournaments, including the North American Sand Soccer Championships in 2011 and 2012. The sport continued to grow with events like the Clearwater Beach Soccer Tournament.

Women's beach soccer

In Europe, women's beach soccer events like the Women's Euro Beach Soccer Cup and Women's Euro Winners Cup started in 2016, and the Women's Euro Beach Soccer League began in 2021. The 2019 World Beach Games also had a women's beach soccer tournament. In North America, women's beach soccer was introduced in the North American Sand Soccer Championships in 2019.

As of 2026, FIFA and other big organizations do not host major world championships for women, but regional events continue. Recent events include the Women's Americas Winners Cup in El Salvador in 2025, the Women's Euro Beach Soccer League in Nazaré in 2024, and pro divisions in tournaments like Fort Lauderdale Beach in 2026. Youth and amateur events, such as Beach Soccer Cape Cod for girls in 2026 and the Beach Soccer Cup Cavallino, also took place.

Rules

The rules of beach soccer are based on the Laws of the Game of association football, but they have some changes to suit playing on sand.

A beach soccer pitch. The dashed white lines are not marked on the pitch and must be inferred by players and officials.

A beach soccer field is a sandy area smaller than a regular football pitch. It is rectangular, with the longer side called the touchline. The field measures 35–37 metres long and 26–28 metres wide. Goals are smaller than in regular football.

Each team has five players, including the goalkeeper. Players must play barefoot, and they can make unlimited substitutions. A game lasts 36 minutes, split into three 12-minute periods. If the score is tied at the end, the game goes into extra time, followed by a penalty shoot-out if needed. There are two referees, and yellow and red cards are used for discipline.

Free kicks are awarded for fouls, and penalties are given for fouls inside the penalty area. The ball used is inflated to a lower pressure than a regular football, and there is no offside rule. Goalkeepers can only handle a pass from a teammate once before the other team gets the ball.

Tournaments

Some of the big beach soccer competitions around the world include:

International

Multi-sports games

Pro/Amateur International

United States

Mexico

  • Acapulco Beach Soccer Cup (Acapulco Annual international invitational)

South America

  • Americas Winners Cup

Confederation

AFC (Asian Football Confederation):

CAF (Confederation of African Football):

CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football):

CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation):

OFC (Oceania Football Confederation):

UEFA (Union of European Football Associations):

All-time legends and greatest players

Beach soccer has drawn in many talented players, including those who played traditional football and switched to this exciting sport. Special players are often honored with awards like the adidas Golden Ball for best player at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, and the Best Player award from Beach Soccer Worldwide at the Beach Soccer Stars event.

One of the most famous beach soccer players ever is Madjer from Portugal. He scored over 1,000 international goals and won many awards, including the Golden Ball twice. Other top players come from countries like Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and the United States, each bringing their own skills and achievements to the game. Some former professional football stars also tried beach soccer and enjoyed success in this fast-paced sport.

Images

A beach soccer ball ready for play on the sand.
A colorful baseball icon representing sports activities.

Related articles

FIFA
Association football
San Diego
Rio de Janeiro
Los Angeles
Monaco

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Beach soccer, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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