Although the pristine sand of the Copacabana is believed to be the cradle of beach soccer in the mid-50s, marking the beginning of beach soccer is an almost impossible task, as beach soccer has been played naturally for decades, if not centuries…
Acknowledging the sport’s potential, the founding partners of Beach Soccer Worldwide (The Beach Soccer Company) established the rules in 1992 so as to give this dynamic game the backbone to grow, with the first international event taking place in Miami (USA) in 1993.
The rules of beach soccer were created to maximise its unique assets, favouring agility, aerial skill, electric pace, spectacular dribbles and goals – lots of goals. Add to that the music and dynamic atmosphere, then you have the most popular sport on sand.
With those ingredients, beach soccer immediately sparked international interest, and the immediate success of the World Championships quickly turned it into the most popular game on the beach, with the birth of renowned international competitions, such as the Pro Beach Soccer Tour (1996) or the Euro Beach Soccer League (1998), as well as national championships in many corners of the world.
Five significant steps in the history of Beach Soccer
1950: The first official beach soccer tournament was created in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) to unite small neighbourhood competitions.
1992: Beach Soccer Worldwide was founded in Los Angeles (USA), which aimed to regularise the Beach Soccer sport.
1996: The Pro Beach Soccer tour started, which included a total of 60 games in two years across South America, Europe, Asia and the United States
2005: The first Men’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is hosted in Rio de Janeiro (BRA), as FIFA becomes the global governing body of Beach Soccer, acknowledging BSWW’s framework.
2021: The Women’s Intercontinental Beach Soccer Cup, the nemesis of the Men’s FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup is hosted for the first time in Moscow (RUS).