The tournament begins on Wednesday, when the last eight spots in each gender in the 24-team main draw will be put in play in the qualifiers, which will have 16 men's and women's duos. The main draw begins on that same afternoon for the women and on Thursday for the men, with the 24 duos split into six pools of four.
The six pool winners, six pool runners-up and two best third-placed teams advance directly to the Round of 16, with the other four third-placed duos facing off in two 'lucky loser' matches for the last two spots.
Beach Pro Tour João Pessoa Elite - Match Schedule
From there on, the tournament continues in single elimination format, culminating with the semifinals and medal matches, which are scheduled for Sunday.
The tournament in João Pessoa will mark the return of reigning Olympic champions Eduarda 'Duda' Lisboa and Ana Patrícia Ramos to the Beach Pro Tour. The Brazilians last played internationally in the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship, in Adelaide, in November, where they finished ninth after forfeiting a Round of 16 match.
Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova, who won the tournament in Australia to become the first Latvian team to ever become world champions, will make the trip to Brazil and will be among the favorites to win gold in the first Elite event of the 2026 season.
