Fifteen teams advanced through their respective preliminary continental qualification competitions, which started in September 2016 and ended in March 2017, to join the host team in the final tournament which included three nations making their debuts at the finals and notably saw two-time champions (in 2011 and 2013) Russia fail to qualify.

[2] The tournament was played from 27 April to 7 May 2017, with all 32 matches hosted in one 3,500 seater stadium, in the Bahamian capital, Nassau.

[1] Qualification began with the European qualifiers on 2 September 2016 and concluded with the final match of the AFC event on 11 March 2017.

However Since the Bahamas, as hosts, automatically qualified, taking one of the two North American two berths by default, it was decided by FIFA to transfer one spot from UEFA to CONCACAF to still allow two North American countries to qualify as normal, reducing the number of European berths to four.

[3] The two African qualifiers were determined via the 2016 Africa Beach Soccer Cup of Nations (the first time the qualification event was held under the Africa Cup of Nations title after CAF upped their commitment to beach soccer in 2015).

[11] Eight nations took part in the finals between 13 and 18 December in Lagos, Nigeria, who qualified from a preliminary 14 team, two-legged play off event in August and September.

[16] In a surprise result, Poland, ranked 12th in Europe prior to the competition, won the event and secured only their second qualification to a World Cup finals following their debut in 2006.

The North American qualification event took place between 20 and 26 February 2017 in Nassau, the Bahamas at the very stadium the World Cup would be hosted in.

[18] In a surprise to all, Panama, in just their second CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship appearance, beat all four historically dominant forces in North America on their way to winning the tournament (Costa Rica in the group stage, the United States in the quarter-finals, El Salvador in the semi-finals and defending champions Mexico in the final).

[20] The 2017 OFC Beach Soccer Championship was originally scheduled to take place in February,[21] however for undisclosed reasons, the tournament was cancelled.

With three berths available, finalists Brazil and hosts Paraguay secured their qualification by winning their respective semi finals.

FIFA chose 24 officials from 24 different countries to referee matches at the World Cup, who were revealed on 31 March 2017.

Former Brazilian association football international, Emerson and Miss Universe Bahamas 2016, Cherell Williamson, assisted the draw.

[39] Players in the final squad may be replaced due to serious injury up to 24 hours prior to kickoff of the team's first match.

[41] The rankings of teams in each group are determined as follows (regulations Article 18.5):[40] If two or more teams are equal on the basis of the above criterion, their rankings are determined as follows: In the aftermath of the final at 18:00 local time, FIFA presented individual awards to the three best players of the tournament, three top goal scorers, and to the best goalkeeper.

[78] Former Golden Boot winner, Dejan Stankovic, scored his highest number of goals (seven) since winning the award with 16 in 2009.