Beach Volleyball Olympic Qualification for LA 2028: How It Works

48 teams — 24 men's and 24 women's pairs — will compete in beach volleyball at the LA28 Olympics in Long Beach. Qualification runs through four pathways: the 2026 Continental Championships (5 spots per gender), the 2027 World Championships in the Netherlands (1 per gender), the Olympic Ranking list (14 per gender), and the Olympic Qualifier Series (3 per gender). The USA, as host, is guaranteed one team per gender.

The basics: 48 teams, four pathways

The FIVB and IOC have confirmed the qualification system for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic beach volleyball tournament. The field is 48 teams: 24 men's pairs and 24 women's pairs. Each National Olympic Committee may enter a maximum of two teams per gender, so no single country can flood the draw.

As host nation, the USA receives one guaranteed quota place per gender — and can still pursue a second team through the standard pathways, meaning the Americans could field two pairs per gender on home sand. Qualification events run from August 2026 through June 2028, in chronological order of qualification.

The four qualification pathways

1. Continental Championships — 5 quota places per gender. The first pathway, staged August 1 to November 15, 2026. The winning team per gender in each of the five confederations earns an Olympic quota for its NOC: Europe (CEV, August 12–16 in Stare Jabłonki, Poland), Africa (CAVB, August 17–23 in Alexandria, Egypt), Asia-Oceania (AVC, September 2–6 in Shangluo, China), South America (CSV, September 3–6 in João Pessoa, Brazil), and NORCECA (November 4–9 in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico). A minimum of 16 national federations per gender must participate in a confederation's event for the quota to be awarded.

2. 2027 World Championships — 1 quota place per gender. The winners of the FIVB Beach Volleyball Senior World Championships in the Netherlands in 2027 take one Olympic spot each, subject to the two-per-NOC maximum.

3. Olympic Ranking — 14 quota places per gender. The largest share. A dedicated Olympic Ranking list (separate from the regular FIVB World Rankings) closes between February 29 and March 31, 2028, with the exact date to be confirmed. The top 14 teams per gender earn quotas. To be eligible, a pair must compete in a minimum of eight events across the 2027 World Championships and the Beach Pro Tour (Elite and Challenge levels).

4. Olympic Qualifier Series — 3 quota places per gender. The final, last-chance pathway. Full format and eligibility details are to be announced in 2026.

Details worth knowing

A few details that matter for following the race:

• Quotas belong to the NOC, not the athletes — mostly. But for continental and host-country quotas, the NOC must select its athletes from its 12 highest-ranked eligible athletes on the Olympic Ranking as of June 12, 2028.
• One quota per athlete. An athlete can earn a maximum of one quota place for their NOC — no double-dipping across pathways.
• The NORCECA wrinkle. Because the USA is already qualified as host, its NORCECA continental spot is expected to be decided by a mini-playoff among the top teams excluding the USA.
• The venue is the story. Beach volleyball at Alamitos Beach in Long Beach puts the Olympic tournament back where the sport was born — on a California beach, a century after it started there.

The math, per gender: 5 (continentals) + 1 (Worlds) + 14 (ranking) + 3 (OQS) + 1 (host) = 24 teams. The road to Long Beach is already underway.