[1] It was organised by Brazilian sports agency Koch Tavares (one of the founding partners of Beach Soccer Worldwide).

The tournament continued to take place at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

This change saw the longest group stage until the world cup became a 16-team event in 2006.

The number of teams competing this year was increased to ten which meant necessary alterations to the past organisational structure of the tournament.

The top two teams then progressed to the semi-finals from which point onward the championship was played as a knock-out tournament until a winner was crowned, with an additional match to determine third place.