2002 Beach Soccer World Championships
The 2002 Beach Soccer World Championships was the eighth edition of the Beach Soccer World Championships, the most prestigious competition in international beach soccer contested by men's national teams until 2005, when the competition was then replaced by the second iteration of a world cup in beach soccer, the better known FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. It was organised by Brazilian sports agency Koch Tavares (one of the founding partners of Beach Soccer Worldwide).
| VIII Beach Soccer World Championships 2002 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Brazil |
| Dates | 13–20 January |
| Teams | 8 (from 3 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 2 (in 2 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Brazil (7th title) |
| Runners-up | Portugal |
| Third place | Uruguay |
| Fourth place | Thailand |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 145 (9.06 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Neném Madjer Nico (9 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Neném |
| Best goalkeeper | Vilarb Nomcharoen |
The tournament continued to change its location, this time being staged for the first time at two venues, in Vitória, (Espírito Santo) and primarily Guarujá, (São Paulo), Brazil. In addition, the number of participating teams was reduced back to eight, as it was during the first three editions.
Brazil narrowly beat defending champions Portugal 6–5 in the final to reclaim the title, winning their seventh crown in eight attempts.