Wednesday 13 / May / 2026
MUSCAT: Oman’s national beach soccer team have broken into the world’s top 10 for the first time in the latest Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) rankings released last week, marking another milestone in the Sultanate’s steady rise as a global force in the sport.
Ranked 10th in the world, Oman have achieved their highest-ever official position in the BSWW rankings, underlining years of consistent performances at FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups and continental competitions.
The rise has also been boosted by Oman’s recent silver medal at the Asian Beach Games in Sanya, China, adding to a strong continental record under long-serving head coach Talib Hilal.
For Talib, who has been at the helm since 2008, the achievement is both a reward and motivation.
“I am incredibly happy that we are among the top 10 teams in the world. Undoubtedly, it is a big achievement, and I am proud of my boys and the support of the Oman Football Association and the sports ministry,” he said.
A former Oman international and Fanja Club star, Talib remains ambitious despite the milestone.
“My aim is to lead Oman to be among the top five teams in the world in future,” he added.
The veteran coach, one of the most influential figures in Oman’s beach soccer journey, also highlighted the significance of the recent Asian Beach Games campaign.
“I am also happy to have led the boys to a silver medal at the Asian Beach Games recently,” Talib said.
“I have the credit for leading the team to a gold medal at the inaugural Asian Beach Games in 2008, and since then, we have been on the podium several times at the continental championships.”
Across the Asian Beach Games era, Talib has guided Oman to one gold and three silver medals, missing the podium only twice in six editions since 2008 — a record that reflects Oman’s sustained continental consistency.
World rankings
Oman’s rise in the world rankings has been gradual but steady. The team were ranked 18th in July 2022, improved to 14th in April 2023, slipped to 16th in July 2024, entered the top 12 in June 2025 and moved up to 11th in January 2026 before breaking into the top 10 in the latest update last week.
The latest jump places Oman among beach soccer’s elite nations.
Within Asia, Oman are now ranked third, behind Iran (world No.6) and Japan (No.8), reflecting the depth of competition in the AFC region.
Brazil (4085.25 points) continue to dominate the rankings at the top, followed by Portugal (2978.25) and Russia in joint second, then Italy (2906), Belarus (2802.25) and Spain (2002). Iran are the highest-ranked Asian team in sixth with 1958 points, followed by Senegal (1575.75) and Japan (1509).
Paraguay (1255.25) sit just above Oman, who with 1192 points complete the world’s top 10.
The Sultanate’s ascent has been shaped by strong performances at FIFA Beach Soccer World Cups, where Oman have qualified six times — in 2011, 2015, 2019, 2021, 2024 and 2025.
Their standout campaign remains 2015, when they won the AFC Asian Beach Soccer Championship and achieved a special ranking high of eighth in August that year — a non-official peak during one of their most successful periods.
That campaign is widely regarded as Oman’s golden era. They defeated continental heavyweights Iran and Japan en route to their maiden Asian title before finishing ninth at the World Cup in Portugal after a tough group featuring Italy, Switzerland and Costa Rica.
More recently, Oman reinforced their status with a notable victory over Japan in the 2025 Asian Cup semifinals, underlining their consistency among Asia’s elite.
With momentum building again after the Asian Beach Games silver and a return to the world’s top 10, Talib’s long-term ambition of taking Oman into the top five now stands as the next frontier for the “Beach Red Warriors.”
