All roads lead to Doha for the Beach Pro Tour Finals

The debut season of the Beach Pro Tour will reach its fascinating climax at the Beach Pro Tour Finals in Doha, Qatar between 26 and 29 January 2023.

It will be the first of three Beach Pro Tour Finals held in the Qatari capital after Volleyball World put pen to paper on a three-year agreement with the Qatar Volleyball Federation and Aspire Zone Foundation who will host the event at the stunning Aspire Park sports complex in the shadow of the impressive 300-metre (980 ft) Torch Hotel.

Until 3 December 2022, every match will count as the world’s best beach volleyball teams will be fighting to secure one of the 10 coveted places up for grabs at the end-of-season spectacular. The top eight teams per gender based on the World Ranking after the Elite16 event in Australia will guarantee their spot at the Aspire Zone Foundation – an illustrious location famous for hosting some of the world’s biggest sports teams.

An additional two teams will receive a wildcard entry to join the best eight to compete for the seasonal championship title.

The winners of the Finals will each be crowned 2022 Beach Pro Tour champions and receive 150,000 US Dollars of the overall 800,000-US Dollar prize purse.

Volleyball World CEO Finn Taylor said: “The Beach Pro Tour Finals are the culmination of an incredibly competitive year on the sand around the world. All the teams that make the Final deserve to be recognised as the best of the best.

“Not only do we expect a sensational welcome from our Qatari hosts at the magnificent Aspire Park facility in capital, but also breathtaking competition on the sand from the world’s best players playing for the first ever Beach Pro Tour Finals title.

“With our partners at the Qatari Volleyball Federation and Aspire Zone Foundation, we are grateful and excited by their commitment and now we look forward to an intense and nail-biting race to see which teams make it. That is why we are delighted that Doha will be the beach elite’s destination for the Beach Pro Tour Finals for the next three years.”

Ali Ghanem Al-Kuwari, President of the Qatar Volleyball Association, said: “Hosting the biggest, most prestigious Beach Pro Tour Finals for the first time ever demonstrates the extent of cooperation and the continuity of the fruitful partnership between the Qatar Volleyball Association and Aspire Zone Foundation, where this partnership has proven its success in hosting previous wonderful international and Asian championships.

“The signing of hosting the event for three consecutive years confirms the great trust and cooperation between the Qatar Volleyball Association, FIVB and Volleyball World.

“I would also like to thank the Qatar Olympic Committee for their continued support in our ambitions of growing beach volleyball.”

Mohammed Al-Kuwari, Chief Marketing Officer of Aspire Zone Foundation, said: “We are delighted to host this event in Aspire Zone Foundation for the first time. It will be a great achievement for the foundation, adding to the series of successes of hosting sports. We are proud to be one of the sponsors and we are excited about this event, which aims to provide an interactive and exciting atmosphere among fans and players.”

Calendar for the remainder of the 2022 season finalised

With the Beach Pro Tour Finals in Doha confirmed, the race is on for the teams to secure their spot in Doha.

Volleyball World and the FIVB have finalised the calendar for the remaining of the 2022 season, which includes back-to-back Challenge events confirmed in Dubai in October.

The events for the Elite16 events remain unchanged, with the event in Brazil scheduled for 9-13 November taking place in Uberlandia and the competition in Australia between 29 November and 3 December now in Torquay.

Challenge events:

Maldives: 13-16 October

Dubai, UAE: 22-25 October

Dubai, UAE: 27-30 October

Cairo, Egypt: 17-20 November

Torquay, Australia: 23-27 November

Elite16 events:

Paris, France: 28 September – 2 October

Cape Town, South Africa: 2-6 November

Uberlandia, Brazil: 9-13 November

Torquay, Australia: 29 November – 3 December