Canarinho secure back-to-back FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ titles following enthralling victory against Belarus
Portugal claim bronze after overcoming Senegal in the match for third place
The first-ever FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Africa concludes with seventh consecutive capacity crowd
Brazil have overcome a brave Belarus side to retain the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup™ and take their tally of titles to a record-extending seven crowns.
The Canarinho’s gripping 4-3 victory came at the end of an exhilarating tournament, which took place in Africa for the first time. It was played at the aptly named Paradise Arena, and the final day saw a capacity crowd for a seventh consecutive night.
In total, 80,000 people watched games inside the Paradise Arena while thousands more watched on from the adjacent Fan Experience Zone during the nine-day extravaganza, with both Seychelles citizens and visitors embracing the tournament wholeheartedly.
As the Paradise Arena cheered their adopted heroes on for one final time, Brazil overcame a stirring Belarus fightback to reclaim their crown.
Lucao put Brazil in command, but Yauheni Novikau equalised. Benjinha then rattled the crossbar following some delightful trickery, before Mikhail Avgustov pulled off a superb save to deny an acrobatic Rodrigo effort. The Brazil No9 did get the better of the Belarus No12 at the start of the second period, however, and Catarino soon doubled the advantage with a spectacular goal.
Belarus looked down and out in the third period, but Ihar Bryshtsel scored twice to pull them level. With just 101 seconds remaining, however, Rodrigo’s second of a thrilling contest won it for Marco Octávio’s side.
Earlier in the evening, and after twice recovering from deficits, Portugal edged Senegal 3-2 in the match for third place to earn their place on the podium alongside Brazil and Belarus. With the scores level at 2-2 deep into the third period, André Lourenço struck the decisive goal from the spot to deny Senegal a first top-three finish and bag the two-time champions a fourth third-place finish.
Brazil’s victory marks the end of an exhilerating 32-match celebration, during which 288 goals were scored – an average of nine per game – making it the second-highest scoring edition in the history of the tournament.
As well as being the first-ever edition of the popular tournament to be held in Africa, the 13th edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup saw many other firsts. It was the first time that the Seychelles had ever hosted a FIFA event and that the national team appeared at the tournament. They were joined by fellow debutants Chile, Guatamala and Mauritania – with all four nations making their mark at the memorable tournament.
Chile got their campaign off to a stunning start, with an exhilarating 7-6 victory against perennial FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup contenders Tahiti. Guatemala also recorded a victory in their debut tournament, overcoming the Seychelles with a gripping 4-3 win. Meanwhile, Mauritania and hosts Seychelles gave excellent accounts of themselves in all three of their outings, running many of the world’s best beach soccer nations to the wire.
In scenes reminiscent of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Africa united and the local population turned out en masse to fill the Paradise Arena and cheer on Senegal throughout their heroic journey to the semi-final stage, where their gallant 2-5 defeat against Belarus ended their hopes of winning the title.
The conclusion of the 2025 edition also completes one other important landmark for the tournament as it has now been delivered at least once by every one of the six Confederations. History made.
Awards
Winners: Brazil
Silver: Belarus
Bronze: Portugal
adidas Golden Ball: RODRIGO (Brazil)
adidas Silver Ball: BRYSHTSEL Ihar (Belarus)
adidas Bronze Ball: BÊ MARTINS (Portugal)
adidas Golden Scorer: BRYSHTSEL Ihar (Belarus)
