The Union of European Football Associations is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs football, futsal and beach football in Europe and the transcontinental countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Kazakhstan, as well as the West Asian countries of Cyprus, Armenia and Israel. UEFA consists of 55 national association members. Since 2022, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, FIFA and UEFA suspended all Russian national teams and clubs from any FIFA and UEFA competitions.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) is the governing body of association football, beach soccer, and futsal in most countries and territories in Asia. The AFC was formed in 1954. It has 47 members. The Asian Ladies Football Confederation (ALFC) was the section of AFC that managed women's association football in Asia. The group was independently founded in April 1968 in a meeting involving Taiwan, British Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. In 1986, ALFC merged with AFC.
Beach soccer, also known as beach football, sand football or beasal, is a variant of association football played on a beach or some form of sand.
Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) is the organisation responsible for the founding and growth of association football's derivative sport of beach soccer. The founding partners of BSWW codified the rules of beach soccer in 1992, with BSWW as it is known today having been officially founded in late 2000 as a singular institution to develop the sport and organise international beach soccer competitions across the globe, primarily between national teams. The company is recognised as playing the biggest role in helping to establish the rules of beach soccer, to spread and evolve the sport around the world as cited by FIFA who took on governing body status of the sport from BSWW in 2005. Having established the sport's key regulations, FIFA acknowledged BSWW's framework, making their rules the official laws of beach soccer and now controls them and any modifications.
Jafar Irismetov is a former Uzbekistan footballer and coach.
The men's football tournament has been a regular Asian Games sporting event since the 1951 edition, while the women's tournament began in 1990.
The AFC Beach Soccer Asian Cup is the main championship for beach soccer in Asia, contested between the senior men's national teams of the members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the sport's version of the better known AFC Asian Cup in association football.
The Portugal national beach soccer team represents Portugal in international beach soccer competitions, and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF), the governing body for Portuguese football. The team has participated in 19 of the 22 editions of the Beach Soccer World Cup, and its best results are three victories in 2001, 2015, and 2019. Alongside Brazil, Portugal is the only team to have won the world title before and after FIFA assumed the government of beach soccer worldwide. In European competitions, Portugal is record holder of titles.
The United States men's national beach soccer team represents the United States in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the USSF, the governing body for soccer in the United States.
The Italy national beach soccer team represents Italy in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Italian Football Federation, the governing body for football in Italy.
The Turkey national beach soccer team represents Turkey in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the TFF, the governing body for football in Turkey.
The Russia national beach soccer team represents Russia in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Russian Football Union, the governing body for football in Russia. The team's highest achievements are three World Cup crowns conquered in 2011, 2013 and 2021.
The Japan national beach soccer team represents Japan in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the JFA, the governing body for football in Japan. One of the leading Asian beach soccer teams, Japan's best performance at the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup was in the 2021 edition, when they were runners-up to the hosts Russia, which played as the Russian Football Union (RFU).
The Switzerland national beach soccer team represents Switzerland in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Swiss Football Association, the governing body for football in Switzerland.
The Ukraine national beach soccer team represents Ukraine in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the FFU, the governing body for football in Ukraine.
The Romania national futsal team represents Romania in international futsal competitions such as the FIFA Futsal World Cup and the European Championships and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.
The Tahiti national beach soccer team represents Tahiti or French Polynesia in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the FTF and the FFF, the governing body for football in Tahiti. In contrast to the fortunes of the association football team, Tahiti's beach soccer has, since 2011, been one of the strongest teams in world beach soccer. The team made history at the 2013 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup by becoming the first Pacific nation to qualify for the knockout stages of an international FIFA tournament. At the 2015 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti beat Italy in a penalty shootout to become the first Pacific nation to ever make it to a final in a FIFA tournament. They followed this up with another appearance in the 2017 final.
The Lebanon national beach soccer team represents Lebanon in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Lebanon Football Association, the governing body for football in Lebanon.
Denmark national beach soccer team represents Denmark in international beach soccer competitions, but is not controlled by the Danish Football Association (DFA), the governing body for football in Denmark. The DFA have decided to wait before being affiliated with an official national beach soccer team. However the team is recognised by the sport's governing body, Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) and competes as Denmark's representative team in BSWW and FIFA sanctioned tournaments.
Sweden national beach soccer team represents Sweden in international beach soccer competitions and is controlled by the Svenska Fotbollförbundet (SvFF), the governing body for football in Sweden.
Kazakhstan 1-5 France 
(San Michele al Tagliamento, Italy; 11 July 2010)
