As of Sunday 5 July, the first two countries that will take to the sands in Rio 2016’s beach volleyball tournament will be revealed to the world. According to the International Federation, the two winning teams (one men’s and one women’s) from the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship in the Netherlands will qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.The championship starts on Friday 26 June and runs until 5 July.

One hundred and ninety-two athletes (96 pairs) from around the globe will compete for world titles in the men’s and women’s competitions. The 48 teams per gender will be divided into 12 groups of four teams. The top two teams from each group, along with the eight best third-ranked teams (based on match points, sets ratio and points ratio) – a total of 32 pairs – will go through to a knockout round, until the champions win out.

Besides securing Olympic berths for their country, the winning pairs will take home prize money of $70,000.

Centre court for the tournament, installed next to the Hofvijver, one of the Hague’s main tourist attractions, before receiving the sand (Photo: FIVB)

In the women’s competition, eyes will be on North American Kerri Walsh, three-time Olympic gold medalist and three-time world champion, playing alongside April Ross, silver medalist at London 2012. In the men’s competition, Dutch pair, Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwsen are the reigning world champions with the good fortune to be defending the title on home sands.

“No team has won two consecutive World Championships,” Brouwer said, “It would be obvious to state that we want to win the World Championships again, but we have fixed goals; we want a podium finish.”

Should the pair fail to qualify at the World Championships, they and others have a second chance to secure a place at the Rio 2016 Games via their standing on the Olympic Ranking List, from which the top 15 pairs in each gender as of 12 June next year will qualify. The winners of five continental championships (the Americas, Africa, Asia, Europe and Oceania) will also secure places. The last of the total 48 Olympic beach volleyball spots go to Brazil, as the host country, with one male and one female place guaranteed; and the top two male and two female teams from the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Continental Cup in July 2016.

Rio2016.com is not an absolute authority on qualification for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is an ongoing process. Final places will only be confirmed in July 2016 (for the Olympic Games) and August 2016 (for the Paralympic Games). The qualification systems are defined by each sport’s respective International Federation and the International Olympic Committee or International Paralympic Committee, and are subject to change. When an athlete or team wins a quota place for their nation, the final decision on whether this ‘slot’ is used and which athletes are sent is taken by the respective National Olympic Committee or National Paralympic Committee (NOC or NPC). Even when athletes win a ‘nominal’ place for themselves, NOCs/NPCs may have to decide who to send if the number of qualified athletes from one country exceeds the quota.