The physical demands of beach soccer: analysis of distance covered and speed profiles of elite men players during match play

Elite beach soccer represents a sport of exceptional physical demands played on a challenging sand surface. This study analyzed the distance covered and speed profiles in elite men’s beach soccer, across different positions, during official international competition. Seventeen top-tier national team players (4 goalkeepers, 3 backs, 7 wings, 3 pivots; age 28.7 ± 5.6 years, height 180.5 ± 5.2 cm, body mass 74.9 ± 6.4 kg) were monitored across 35 official international matches utilizing 10-Hz GPS units. Effective playing time was determined via manually recorded substitution timestamps to account for individual participation variation. Performance metrics were normalized to minutes of active play, including total distance covered, moderate (12–16 km·h⁻¹) and high-speed (>16 km·h⁻¹) running distances, accelerations and decelerations ≥3.0 m·s⁻², and peak running speed and acceleration/deceleration values. Outfield players accumulated substantial distances: backs covered 125 [95% CI: 91–158] m·min⁻¹, wings 138 [124–152] m·min⁻¹, and pivots 130 [85–174] m·min⁻¹, compared to goalkeepers at 87 [52–122] m·min⁻¹. Moderate-speed running comprised 15–17% of total distance (19.0–20.9 m·min⁻¹) for outfield players, whilst high-speed running accounted for 4–7% (6.1–9.1 m·min⁻¹). Peak running speeds exceeded 21 km·h⁻¹ for backs and approximately 20.8 km·h⁻¹ for wings and pivots, compared with 16.5 km·h⁻¹ in goalkeepers (mean differences vs. GK = 4.8 [95% CI: 0.5 to 4.6] km·h⁻¹ for backs, 3.4 [95% CI: −0.0 to 2.5] km·h⁻¹ for wings, and 3.7 [95% CI: −0.1 to 3.0] km·h⁻¹ for pivots; all effects large). These findings demonstrate that despite shorter individual playing durations characteristic of beach soccer, the sport maintains exceptionally high physical intensity throughout match periods. This investigation provides the first comprehensive, per-minute, position-specific external load benchmark data derived from elite beach soccer match-play. These standardized values offer evidence-based reference data to guide position-tailored training prescription, performance monitoring, and talent development strategies whilst contributing substantively to understanding the physical match-play demands of elite beach soccer competition, as characterized by GPS-derived external load and match activity profiles.