2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup
The 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup was the 11th edition of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. Overall, this was the 21st edition of a world cup in beach soccer since the establishment of the Beach Soccer World Championships which ran from 1995 to 2004 but was not governed by FIFA. This was the sixth tournament to take place biennially; the World Cup took place annually until 2009. The tournament took place in Moscow, capital of Russia, between 19 and 29 August 2021.
| Чемпионат мира по пляжному футболу 2021 года (Chempionat mira po plyazhnomu futbolu 2021 goda) | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Russia |
| City | Moscow |
| Dates | 19–29 August |
| Teams | 16 (from 6 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions | RFU (3rd title) |
| Runners-up | Japan |
| Third place | Switzerland |
| Fourth place | Senegal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 302 (9.44 per match) |
| Attendance | 53,149 (1,661 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Glenn Hodel (12 goals) |
| Best player(s) | Noël Ott |
| Best goalkeeper | Eliott Mounoud |
| Fair play award | Brazil |
The tournament was first intimated in November 2017 at the FIFA Beach Soccer Workshop when it was announced that the World Cup would continue to be held every two years between 2018 and 2024. The bidding process was opened by FIFA in May 2019 and concluded with the selection of Russia as the hosts in October 2019.
Portugal were the defending champions, but they were eliminated in the group stage. They became the first time defending champions in the tournament's history to be eliminated in the group stage.
The hosts Russia, played as the RFU, won their third World Cup, beating Japan in the final.