The inaugural CEV Beach Volleyball Continental Cup and FIVB Beach Volleyball World Cup will take place over three years, from 2010-2012, and will act as an additional route through which National Federations will be able to qualify Beach Volleyball teams for the 2012 Olympics. 

This competition, which was approved by the FIVB Board of Administration in April 2009, will be a complementary competition to the current SWATCH FIVB World Tour and SWATCH FIVB World Championships, with the number of countries involved expected to jump from around 120 at present to over 150. 

The ambitious project is meant to be a catalyst to develop the game globally and is part of ongoing initiatives at the FIVB to provide its Confederations and National Federations with greater opportunities to become more involved in Beach Volleyball and Volleyball operations.