Seychelles national beach soccer team
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| Nickname | The Pirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Association | Seychelles Football Federation | ||
| Confederation | CAF (Africa) | ||
| Sub-confederation | COSAFA (Southern Africa) | ||
| Head coach | Herald Kowlessur | ||
| FIFA code | SEY | ||
| BSWW ranking | 44  2 (19 January 2026)[1] | ||
| |||
| First international | |||
 Madagascar 8–3 Seychelles  (Mahajanga, Madagascar; 13 December 2014) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Seychelles 3–1 Saudi Arabia  (Durban, South Africa; 17 March 2024) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
Seychelles 1–12 Ghana  (Roche Caiman, Seychelles; 19 April 2015) | |||
| World Cup | |||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2025) | ||
| Best result | Group stage (2025) | ||
| Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations | |||
| Appearances | 2 (first in 2015) | ||
| Best result | Seventh place (2021) | ||
| COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship | |||
| Appearances | 4 (first in 2015) | ||
| Best result | Fifth place (2015) | ||
The Seychelles national beach soccer team represents Seychelles in beach soccer. It is controlled by the Seychelles football association. Seychelles have taken part in the Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations once in 2015. Ten years later, they currently participating in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup for the very first time in 2025 where they made their debut as host.[2]
Following the successful bid to host the 2015 CAF Beach Soccer Championship, officially awarded in October 2013.[3] the country launched its first-ever beach soccer league that same year, paving the way for the formation of its national team in 2014.[4] In December of that year, led by Malagasy coach Robert Edmond, the team traveled to Madagascar for two friendly matches against the host nation.[5] They played their first international game on 13 December, losing 3–8, followed by a 2–5 defeat in the second match. In January the following year, the team began their competitive journey at the 2015 African Trophy in Durban, where the Pirates finished 8th after suffering three defeats.[6] One month later, Brazilian coach Bruno Malias Mendes was appointed as the head coach of the national team.[7] In April 2015, the island nation hosted the inaugural COSAFA Beach Soccer Championship, where they claimed their first international victory with a 4–3 win over Malawi, followed by a 1–0 triumph against South Africa to secure 5th place, their best finish in the tournament's history up to date.[8][9] Three days later, they made their debut in the CAF Beach Soccer Championship with a 1–10 loss to Nigeria.[10] Despite improved performances in narrow defeats to Ivory Coast (1–2) and Egypt (2–5), Seychelles ended the group stage winless. They went on to lose their placement matches, including a heavy 1–12 defeat to Ghana, finishing last in their first appearance.[11] The team went on a three-year hiatus before returning in November 2018 to compete in the Copa Dar es Salaam, and again in 2019, marking their only appearances before 2021.[12] They qualified for the 2021 Beach Soccer Africa Cup of Nations after Madagascar withdrew from the qualifiers, granting them a second appearance at the continental tournament.[13] However, like their debut, the team finished winless and placed last overall.[14] Having only competed in the COSAFA Beach Soccer Championships since then and failing to qualify for subsequent editions of the continental cup, the team received a major boost when FIFA awarded them the hosting rights for the 2025 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup on 16 December 2022.[15][16]
