In the last days of January, the 19th edition of the Rio Beach Rugby Tournament took place on the world-famous Copacabana Beach. Since 2006, the tournament has hosted both amateur and professional rugby teams from around the world. Over the years, teams from Japan, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Italy, England, Portugal, and many others have competed in this exciting event.
This year’s edition featured 12 men’s teams and 4 women’s teams, all coming from different regions of Brazil. However, this didn’t stop the tournament from being the most international edition yet. Players from Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, the USA, Australia, China, Zimbabwe, England, France, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland brought a truly global feel to the event.
Fierce Competition Under the Scorching Rio Sun
With temperatures nearing 40°C, the competition was intense, and old rivalries were reignited under the hot Rio de Janeiro summer. In the women’s tournament, local club Rio Rugby FC dominated, winning all their matches and securing the championship in front of a home crowd. They defeated their longtime rivals BH Rugby (Belo Horizonte) 7-2 in the final and finished the tournament with an incredible 34 tries scored.
The men’s competition was just as thrilling, with local clubs going head-to-head against some of Brazil’s most historic teams. The standout squads were:
- Antoine Dupão de Queijo – the most international team, made up entirely of expats.
- Freitas – a strong contender, topping their group.
- Los Japas – the eventual champions, going undefeated.
The final match, featuring Los Japas against Freitas, ended up with a 5×4 score, a red card on the champion’s side, and was only decided by a golden try! It doesn’t get any better than that…
Sofascore Editor Makes Its Mark on Rio Beach Rugby
For the first time in the tournament’s history, Sofascore was an official sponsor, bringing real-time coverage to one of South America’s biggest beach rugby events. Every match, both men’s and women’s, was covered live through the Sofascore Editor tool!
We are a well-known tournament, one of the biggest beach rugby events in South America, and this is our 19th edition. But only now, for the first time, we have all of our results digitized and covered live! This is a huge deal for the entire Brazilian rugby community. Families in different states could follow their relatives live and in detail
Guilherme Pereira, President of Rio Rugby FC and organizer of Rio Beach Rugby 2025.
With no scoreboards at the venue, anyone wanting live scores or standings had only one option – checking Sofascore. Stuart, the man behind the Sofascore Editor updates, could be heard every few minutes yelling: “Download Sofascore if you want to know the score or see the standings!”
Sofascore’s Presence Stands Tall on Copacabana Beach
Sofascore didn’t just bring real-time updates—it also had a strong visual presence. The tournament took place in a secluded area of Copacabana Beach, directly across from the Copacabana Palace, the city’s most famous 5 star hotel. Thousands of locals and tourists passing by—whether relaxing, playing volleyball, football, footvolley, cycling, or just strolling along the shore—couldn’t miss the tall, blue, and white Sofascore beach flags waving above the crowd.
With intense matches, international talent, and Sofascore bringing live coverage, this year’s Rio Beach Rugby Tournament was one for the history books!
Want to bring real-time coverage to your tournament? Reach the Sofascore Editor team here.