Early years The sport of
beach soccer is said to have originated in
Brazil, where locals played soccer on the beaches for recreation. In 1992, the founding fathers of
Beach Soccer Worldwide created the official rules for the sport. Then in 1993, the United States held the first ever professional beach soccer event in Miami, Florida which included national teams from Brazil,
Argentina, and
Italy. This event led to the creation of more teams in other countries, rapidly growing the sport.
Beach Soccer World Championship (Pre-FIFA) The United States participated in the inaugural
Beach Soccer World Championship in
Brazil in 1994, marking the start of their competitive journey. The U.S. team competed consistently in the tournament from 1994 to 2001, achieving a runners-up in
1995, fourth place in
1996, and third-place finish in
1997. The U.S. team joined FIFA once the World Championship was officially recognized by the association.
CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship CONCACAF, the governing body for football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, began hosting qualifying tournaments for the
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in 2005. The inaugural event, the
2005 CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Beach Soccer Championship, was a joint tournament with
CONMEBOL held in
Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, where the United States national beach soccer team secured third place by defeating
Argentina in the third-place playoff. In
2006, CONCACAF held its first standalone Beach Soccer Championship in
Puntarenas,
Costa Rica, which the U.S. won (
Ben Astorga set a tournament record by scoring just four seconds into a match against
Canada where they ended up winning in the final. In
2007, another joint CONCACAF and CONMEBOL Championship took place in
Acapulco,
Mexico, with the U.S. winning the title by defeating Uruguay 4-3 in the final. From 2008, CONCACAF hosted standalone championships. The U.S. placed third in
2008, fourth in
2009, and third in
2010. The championship continued biennially, with the U.S. finishing fourth in
2015, fifth in
2017, second in both
2019 and
2021, first in
2023, and third in
2025, defeating the
Bahamas in the third-place match but failing to qualify for the
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup The sport of beach soccer, and the United States national beach soccer team, became a recognized part of
FIFA – the main international governing body of soccer – in 2005, in which
CONCACAF – the Confederation of North & Central America and Caribbean Association Football – became the officiating body for qualifying tournaments. The U.S. national beach soccer team went on to compete in
FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup tournaments from 2005 through 2013 against some of the 98 total
national teams from all around the world. The U.S. has competed in all CONCACAF tournaments since their inception, achieving three titles (2006, 2013, 2023) and qualifying for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup seven times: 2005, 2006, 2007, 2013, 2019, 2021, and 2024. In 2005, the U.S. team made it to the World Cup in Brazil. In the group stages, they were unable to win either of their games, resulting in them not making it through to the playoffs. In 2006, the men's national team won the
CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship and qualified for the FIFA World Cup, which was held in Brazil. Due to them only winning one game in the group stages, they did not qualify for the playoffs. In 2007, the team made it to the FIFA World Cup in Brazil again. They ended up losing in the group stages and were unable to make it through to the playoffs. In 2008, 2009, and 2010, the U.S. team fell in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championships and did not qualify for the World Cup. The FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup changed to being held every other year, meaning the next opportunity for the U.S. to qualify would be in 2013. In 2013, the men's national beach soccer team won the
CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship and qualified for the World Cup which was held in
Tahiti. They did not make it through the group stages and were out before the playoffs.
Anthony Chimienti is the U.S. all-time leading goal scorer in World Cup play with 9 goals, participating in 3 World Cups. At the
2015 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, the U.S. lost in the semifinals and did not qualify for the World Cup. In
2017, they lost in the quarterfinals and once again did not qualify for the World Cup. At the
2019 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, the U.S. lost in the finals, but their 2nd-place finish qualified them for the
2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. In 2023, the U.S. National Team managed getting first at the
2023 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, qualifying them for the
2024 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, with their top scorer at the World Cup being Alessandro Canale. They fell short, not making past the group stage. == Coaching staff ==