Footvolley in Copacabana: born on this sand, still ruling it

Footvolley was born on Copacabana Beach, right between the sand and the sea, long before it became a sport with its own federation and a world championship played across four continents. A few meters from the stretch of sand where Argos Esmeralda and Argos Safira host guests year-round, the beach is still the sport's original home court — and still holds the busiest pickup games in the city.

Born right there, on the sand of Posto 6

The story starts in 1962, in the middle of the military dictatorship, when police banned football on the beach past a certain hour. Architect and sportsman Otávio Moraes, known as Tatá, gathered his group of beach friends and found a workaround: use the netless goalposts of the sand-football courts to play with feet and head only, never letting the ball touch the ground inside the marked lines. That mix of football technique and volleyball rules — still without a name — was born right there. In 1965 the game got a fixed address on Rua Joaquim Nabuco, at Posto 6. Three years later, in 1968, the group led by Sérgio Brito Peixoto — nicknamed Cachorrão — took it to Rua Constante Ramos, and footvolley spread along the whole shoreline, from Leme to Posto 6. It reached Ipanema in 1975, starting a neighborhood rivalry that is still alive today.

The sport that now fills a world tournament across four continents was born because a group of friends could no longer play ball on the beach past a certain hour.

From street sport to a world championship on sand

Professionalization began in the 1990s, with the first state associations. In 1998, the Brazilian Footvolley Confederation (CBFv) was founded in Goiânia, organizing tournaments and a national ranking. Copacabana, the sport's birthplace, kept hosting the main competitions — in 2012 the beach hosted the 4x4 Footvolley World Cup, bringing national teams from countries like Portugal, Spain and Italy to the same sand where Tatá and his friends invented the game five decades earlier. The sport now has players in dozens of countries, but the circuit of public courts between Posto 4 and Posto 6 is still the place where any guest can walk up without an invitation and ask to join a team.

Where to play today

Courts spread across the whole length of Copacabana, marked straight on the sand between the boardwalk and the sea — no entry fee, no advance booking. The biggest concentration sits between Posto 4 and Posto 6, the stretch where the sport was born and is still busiest, but organized games can be found from Leme to Arpoador wherever the sand is deep enough to plant a net. In the late afternoon, the courts near Rua Santa Clara and Rua Djalma Ulrich usually gather the highest level — coaches and tournament players training after work.

In recent years, beach tennis has taken over the same type of court and become the new favorite among people who had played footvolley for decades — the racket and the lower net created a more approachable sport for beginners. Both games share the same stretch of sand, often the same court, at different times of day.

Best time to play (or just watch)

1. Early morning, until 9am — open sand, mild sun, easy to pair up with people already training
2. Late afternoon, 5pm to 7pm — busiest stretch, highest skill level, good time to just watch from the sand
3. Weekends — courts full all day, 15 to 30 minute wait to join a team
4. Avoid noon to 2pm — the strong sun empties the sand even for people who just want to sit and watch

Steps away from the Argos studios

Argos Esmeralda and Argos Safira sit in Edifício Armoleu, at Rua Barata Ribeiro 211, between Posto 3 and Posto 4 — three blocks from the sand, right inside the stretch where footvolley was born and is still busiest. Each studio has 30m², fits up to 4 guests, a soundproof-sealed window and 24-hour front desk. Self check-in until 10pm with a digital boarding pass covers late arrivals from a court session, no front-desk hours to work around.

Frequently asked questions