2001 Beach Soccer World Championship
| VII Beach Soccer World Championships 2001 | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | Brazil |
| Dates | 11 – 18 February |
| Teams | 12 (from 3 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 1 (in 1 host city) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |
 Portugal (1st title)
|
| Runners-up |
 France
|
| Third place |
 Argentina
|
| Fourth place |
 Brazil
|
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 20 |
| Goals scored | 144 (7.2 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) |
Alan (10 goals) |
| Best player |
Hernâni
|
| Best goalkeeper |
Pascal Olmeta
|
The 2001 Beach Soccer World Championship was the seventh edition of the Beach Soccer World Championships, the most prestigious competition in international beach soccer contested by men's national teams, organised by Koch Tavares in a supervising partnership with the newly formed Beach Soccer Worldwide, which ultimately came under the control of FIFA in 2005 and subsequently rebranded as the better known FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup.
For the first time since its establishment in 1995, the tournament took place outside of Rio de Janeiro, namely at the Costa do Sauipe complex, in the state of Bahia, north of Salvador.
It was also the first time that hosts Brazil did not win the championships, finishing in fourth, as Portugal beat France in the final to claim their first title.
The championships continued to consist of twelve teams who were split into four groups of three with the top two from each group advancing to the quarter finals.
The highest finishing European teams in the 2000 Euro Beach Soccer League and the best performing South and North American teams in the Americas' series of events qualified for the World Cup. Other nations received invites.
Asia, Africa and Oceania were unrepresented.
European Zone (6):
North American Zone (1):
South American Zone (4):
Hosts:
Notes:
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