Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour
The world's premier beach volleyball tour, reborn in 2022.
Last updated
The Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour is the worldwide professional beach volleyball tour for both men and women, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and Volleyball World. It was established in 2022 as the successor to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, which had been held since 1989 for men and since 1992 for women.
Last updated 2026-10-01 from the source article.
Lore & Background
The professional beach volleyball circuit for men and women is now called the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, run by the FIVB and Volleyball World. It launched in 2022, taking over from the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour, which had been around since 1989 for men and 1992 for women. The tour includes events at different levels, such as Elite16, Challenge, and Futures tournaments, plus the Beach Pro Tour Finals. The old World Tour was known as the FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour from 2003 to 2012 due to sponsorship.
That circuit started as the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Series in 1989 for men and 1992 for women, then was renamed the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour in 1997. It once had FIVB Challenger and Satellite events as a development path for newer players, but in 2009 the FIVB gave the continental confederations the job of organizing those. World Tour tournaments were originally split into Grand Slams, Majors, or Opens, but in 2017 that was replaced with a star rating system from 1 to 5 stars, where 5-star events offered the most prize money.
In 2018, the World Tour had 47 international tournaments with a total prize pool over $7 million. Players earned FIVB Ranking Points from these events and others like the Olympics, with higher-star tournaments giving more points. Each season ended with the World Tour Finals, which started in 2015 and featured only the top teams. In October 2021, the FIVB announced the rebranding to the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, which began with the 2022 season.
Reader's Guide
The tour consists of tournaments held throughout the year at different levels, including the Elite16, Challenge and Futures events, as well as the Beach Pro Tour Finals. The star ranking tournament structure was introduced in 2017. World Tour tournaments were ranked from 1 to 5 stars, with 5-star tournaments offering the most prize money. The 2018 World Tour had 47 international tournaments with a total prize purse of over US$7 million.
Competing in the World Tour as well as other FIVB-recognized tournaments such as the Summer Olympics allowed players to earn FIVB Ranking Points, with higher-star events being worth more points. The World Tour concluded with the World Tour Finals at the end of each season. A new tournament classification was introduced in 2022.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour?
It is the premier global circuit for professional beach volleyball, covering both men's and women's competition. The tour runs a full calendar of events year-round and sits at the top of the sport's competitive hierarchy.
What happened to the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Tour?
It was rebranded and restructured as the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, which launched in 2022. The World Tour had been the top-level circuit since men's events began in 1989 and women's in 1992, so the new name essentially continues that same lineage.
What tournament categories make up the Beach Pro Tour?
The season is divided into Elite16, Challenge, and Futures tiers, capped off by the Beach Pro Tour Finals. Elite16 events are reserved for the highest-ranked pairs, while Futures tournaments serve as a developmental entry point for emerging athletes.
Who organizes the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour?
The circuit is jointly operated by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball (FIVB) and Volleyball World, the international body's commercial and media arm. Together they manage scheduling, broadcasting, and the overall competitive structure across the global event calendar.
More in Team Ball Sports
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced