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Portugal national beach soccer team

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Portugal
NicknameSelecção das Quinas
AssociationFederação Portuguesa de Futebol
ConfederationUEFA (Europe)
Head coachMário Narciso
CaptainRotating (historically Belchior, others)
Most capsMadjer (584)
Top scorerMadjer (1090)
FIFA codePOR
BSWW ranking 3 Steady (19 January 2026)[1] (2 as of 2 June 2025; 3 in latest update with 3133.75 points)[2]


First colours


Second colours
Biggest win
 Portugal 15–0 Moldova 
(Jesolo, Italy; 2 September 2016)
Biggest defeat
 Brazil 11–2 Portugal 
(Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 26 March 2000)
World Cup
Appearances20
Best result1st place, gold medalist(s) Champions (2015, 2019)

The Portugal national beach soccer team represents Portugal in international beach soccer competitions, and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for Portuguese football. The team has participated in 20 of the 23 editions of the Beach Soccer World Cup (organised by FIFA since 2005), and its best results are three victories in 2001 (Costa do Sauípe, Brazil), 2015 (Espinho, Portugal), and 2019 (Luque, Paraguay). Alongside Brazil, Portugal is the only team to have won the world title before and after FIFA assumed the government of beach soccer worldwide. In European competitions, Portugal is record holder of titles.

History

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Portugal emerged in the late 1990s and early 2000s under Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW), winning the 2001 World Championship and multiple podiums pre-FIFA era. Post-2005 FIFA integration, the team secured two World Cup titles (2015 on home soil and 2019), numerous European titles, and consistent top rankings. In 2025, they achieved bronze at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles, defeating Senegal in the third-place match via penalty from André Lourenço after comebacks.[3][4]

Beach Soccer World Championships (pre-FIFA era)

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Beach soccer's early global tournaments were organized by BSWW from 1995 to 2004, primarily in Brazil. Portugal quickly rose to prominence, participating consistently and achieving strong results. They finished runners-up in 1999 (losing 5–2 to Brazil) and 2002 (6–5 to Brazil), and claimed third place in 2003 and 2004. The pinnacle came in 2001 at Costa do Sauípe, Brazil, where Portugal won their first world title, defeating France 9–3 in the final. This era established Portugal as one of the sport's elite nations alongside Brazil.

FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup (2005–present)

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FIFA assumed governance of beach soccer in 2005, rebranding the tournament as the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Portugal qualified for nearly every edition (20 of 23 overall as of 2025) and became the only nation besides Brazil to win titles both pre- and post-FIFA.[5]

Key highlights include:

  • 2005 (Rio de Janeiro): Runners-up, losing on penalties to France in the final after a 3–3 draw.
  • 2006: Fourth place.
  • 2008, 2009, and 2011: Third place in each.
  • 2015 (Espinho, Portugal – hosted): Champions, defeating Tahiti 5–3 in the final on home soil.
  • 2019 (Luque, Paraguay): Champions again, beating Italy 6–4 in the final.
  • 2025 (Seychelles): Third place (bronze), with a 3–2 win over Senegal in the third-place match; André Lourenço scored the decisive penalty after Portugal recovered from deficits.[6]

UEFA qualifiers for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

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Since 2008, UEFA has held dedicated qualifiers for the World Cup. Portugal has qualified the most times among European teams (7 occasions), though Spain holds more qualifier titles (4). Notable successes include winning the 2024 qualifier in Cádiz (qualifying for 2025) and runner-up finishes in 2008 and 2010.[5]

Madjer

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João Victor Saraiva, known as Madjer (born 22 January 1977 in Luanda, Angola). Nicknamed after Algerian footballer Rabah Madjer due to his flair and style (starting from age 10 at Estoril Praia), he debuted for Portugal in 1998 and retired in 2019 with Ronaldinho in attendance with him, after a 21-year international career.

  • First player to score 1,000 international beach soccer goals (September 2016, in a qualifier vs England).[7]
  • Guinness World Record for most goals in FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup history (88 goals across 13 editions, 2005–2019), including a single-tournament record of 21 in 2006.[8]
  • Awards: 2 Golden Balls (best player: 2005, 2006), 3 Golden Shoes (top scorer: 2005, 2006, 2008), plus multiple silvers/bronzes.
  • Including the 2001 pre-FIFA title, 2015 and 2019 FIFA titles (he played in 2019 at age 42, scoring once).[9]

Results and fixtures

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The following is a list of match results in the last 12 months, as well as any future matches that have been scheduled.

Legend

  Win   Draw   Lose   Fixture

2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

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1 May 2025 (2025-05-01) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup GS Group B Portugal  11–9  Paraguay Victoria, Seychelles
TBD UTC+4 (Seychelles time) Report (FIFA) Stadium: Main Stadium
3 May 2025 (2025-05-03) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup GS Group B Portugal  8–4  Mauritania Victoria, Seychelles
TBD UTC+4 Stadium: Main Stadium
5 May 2025 (2025-05-05) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup GS Group B Iran  7–5  Portugal Victoria, Seychelles
TBD UTC+4 (e.g., Nazar Zade early; Portugal equalizer and comeback) Highlights (YouTube/FIFA) (Overhead kicks and pressing noted) Stadium: Main Stadium
8 May 2025 (2025-05-08) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Quarter-final Portugal  7–6  Japan Victoria, Seychelles
TBD UTC+4 Highlights (YouTube/FIFA) Stadium: Main Stadium
10 May 2025 (2025-05-10) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Semi-final Portugal  2–4  Brazil Victoria, Seychelles
TBD UTC+4 Stadium: Main Stadium
11 May 2025 (2025-05-11) FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Third place play-off Senegal  3–2  Portugal Victoria, Seychelles
TBD UTC+4 (e.g., deficits recovered by Portugal; André Lourenço key in comeback) Highlights (YouTube/FIFA)
Report		 (Comeback victory; final rocket/shot noted) Stadium: Main Stadium
Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal Viareggio 2025
9 September 2025 (2025-09-09) Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal Group stage Portugal  3–4  Belarus Viareggio, Italy
TBD Stadium: Main Stadium
10 September 2025 (2025-09-10) Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal Group stage Italy  3–6  Portugal Viareggio, Italy
18:00 (approx.) (e.g., Casapieri 12', Fazzini 17' (34), etc.) Report Stadium: Main Stadium
12 September 2025 (2025-09-12) Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal Group stage Portugal  4–2  France Viareggio, Italy
14:00 (approx.) D. Algarvio 5' (6), Léo Martins 28' (34) Report (BSWW) Guerin 4', Gosselin 14' Stadium: Main Stadium
Referee: Vitalij Gomolko (Lithuania)
14 September 2025 (2025-09-14) Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal 5th/6th place match Portugal  9–3   Switzerland Viareggio, Italy
TBD Stadium: Main Stadium

Coaching staff

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Current coaching staff

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Head coach: Mário Narciso
Assistant coach: Luís Bilro
Assistant coach: Tiago Reis

Managerial history

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Team

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Current squad

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The following is the most recent squad.[10][11][12][13]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
14 GK  POR Tim (Filipe Alves Santos)
2 FW  POR P. Marques (Pedro Alexandre Mendes Marques)
22 GK/DF  POR Diogo Dias
17 FW  POR Vasco Gonçalves
3 DF  POR André Lourenço (key scorer in 2025 bronze match)
11 FW  POR Léo Martins (veteran forward)
— FW/MF  POR Alan Cavalcanti
1 GK  POR Pedro Mano
6 MF  POR Rodrigo Pinhal
4 DF  POR Bruno Torres
Head coach: Mário Narciso

Notable Players

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Notable players

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  • Portugal Madjer (1998–2019) — All-time leading scorer (1,090 goals) and caps (584); legendary forward, first to 1,000 international goals, multiple FIFA Golden Balls/Shoes.
  • Portugal Alan (1998–2015 approx.) — Second all-time top scorer for Portugal; versatile forward, key in early 2000s successes and multiple podiums.
  • Portugal Belchior (2000s–2010s) — Prolific forward; high FIFA World Cup goal tally (top 10 all-time), vital in 2015 and earlier titles.
  • Portugal Léo Martins (2010s–present) — Veteran forward; exceptional long-range shooter, frequent top scorer nominee, key in 2015/2019 World Cups and recent campaigns.
  • Portugal Bê Martins (2010s–present) — Versatile winger/forward; twin brother of Léo, award nominee, standout in Mundialito and European titles.
  • Portugal Jordan Santos (2010s–present) — Dynamic forward; frequent award nominee (e.g., world best lists), club success with Braga, consistent national team performer.
  • Portugal André Lourenço (2010s–present) — Defender/fixo; hero of 2025 World Cup bronze (decisive penalty), strong defensive leader in recent qualifiers and finals.
  • Portugal Bruno Torres (2000s–2010s) — Defender; long-serving squad member, contributed to multiple European and World Cup podiums.
  • Portugal Elinton Andrade (2000s–2010s) — Goalkeeper/forward hybrid; reliable in big matches, part of golden generation including 2015 title.

These players represent the core of Portugal's success across pre-FIFA (1990s–2004) and FIFA eras (2005–present).

Competitive record

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FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup

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FIFA World Cup record Qualification (UEFA) record
Year Round Pos Pld W W+ L GF GA GD Round Pos Pld W W+ L GF GA GD
Brazil 2005 Runners-up 2nd 5 3 1 1 27 15 +12 No qualification matches
Brazil 2006 Fourth place 4th 6 4 0 2 43 24 +19
Brazil 2007 Quarter-finals 8th 4 0 2 2 18 22 −4
France 2008 Third place 3rd 6 4 1 1 41 22 +19 Runners-up 2nd 7 6 0 1 47 12 +35
United Arab Emirates 2009 3rd 6 4 0 2 32 24 +8 Fourth place 4th 7 5 0 2 47 29 +18
Italy 2011 3rd 6 4 1 1 33 12 +21 Runners-up 2nd 7 5 1 1 37 25 +12
French Polynesia 2013 Did not qualify Round of 16 – 4 2 0 2 21 9 +12
Portugal 2015 Champions 1st 6 5 0 1 32 18 +14 Automatically qualified as hosts
The Bahamas 2017 Quarter-finals 8th 4 1 1 2 15 10 +5 Third place 3rd 8 7 0 1 61 14 +47
Paraguay 2019 Champions 1st 6 4 1 1 33 20 +13 Fifth place 5th 8 5 1 2 56 21 +35
Russia 2021 Group stage 10th 3 1 0 2 14 15 -1 Third place 3rd 6 5 0 1 24 12 +12
United Arab Emirates 2024 Quarter-finals 5th 4 2 0 2 16 11 +5 Playoffs – 4 4 0 0 28 13 +15
Seychelles 2025 Third place 3rd 6 5 0 1 38 30 +8
Total 3 titles 11/12 (approx) 58+ 35+ 4+ 16+ 326+ 212+ +114+ 0 titles 8/9 51 39 2 10 321 135 +186

Medals

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Last Update: February 2026 [14]

Event Gold Silver Bronze Total
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2 1 5 8
Beach Soccer World Championships 1 2 2 5
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualification (UEFA) 1 2 2 5
Euro Beach Soccer League 9 10 6 25
Euro Beach Soccer Cup 7 3 3 13
BSWW Mundialito 7 12 1 20
Copa Latina (beach soccer) 1 5 1 7
Beach soccer at the European Games 1 0 1 2
Mediterranean Beach Games 0 2 0 2
World Beach Games 0 0 0 0
Beach Soccer Intercontinental Cup 0 1 1 2
Total 29 38 21 88

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ "BSWW world ranking". beachsoccer.com. 19 January 2026. Retrieved 19 January 2026.
  2. ^ "BSWW World Ranking". Beach Soccer Worldwide. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  3. ^ "Andre bags bronze for Portugal". FIFA.
  4. ^ "An incredible journey through beach football". Federação Portuguesa de Futebol.
  5. ^ a b "An incredible journey through beach football". Federação Portuguesa de Futebol.
  6. ^ "Andre bags bronze for Portugal". FIFA.
  7. ^ "Madjer scores his 1000th goal!". Beach Soccer Worldwide. September 4, 2016.
  8. ^ "Most goals scored in a FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup career by an individual". Guinness World Records.
  9. ^ "Madjer backs Portugal to defend their FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup title". FIFA. August 19, 2021.
  10. ^ "Andre bags bronze for Portugal". FIFA.
  11. ^ "Portugal squad – FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025". FIFA. Retrieved February 8, 2026.
  12. ^ "Portugal squad". Beach Soccer Worldwide.
  13. ^ "Portugal squad vs Japan 2025". JFA.
  14. ^ "The Roon Ba".
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