By Victor Kanayo
Brazil have retained the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, extending their title haul to a record seven.
To achieve this feat, the Brazilian side narrowly defeated Belarus 4–3 in the final of the tournament, which was held in Africa for the first time.
Organisers revealed that 80,000 people watched games inside the Paradise Arena, while thousands more followed the action from the adjacent Fan Experience Zone during the nine-day extravaganza, with both Seychellois citizens and visitors embracing the tournament wholeheartedly.
Brazil’s victory marked the end of an exhilarating 32-match celebration, during which 288 goals were scored — an average of nine per game — making it the second-highest-scoring edition in the tournament’s history.
As well as being the first edition of the popular tournament to be held in Africa, the 13th edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup featured many other firsts.
It was the first time that Seychelles had ever hosted a FIFA event and the first time its national team appeared at the tournament.
They were joined by fellow debutants Chile, Guatemala, and Mauritania — with all four nations making their mark.
Earlier in the evening, after twice coming from behind, Portugal edged Senegal 3–2 in the third-place match to earn a spot on the podium alongside Brazil and Belarus.
