Having started in 1998, the tournament's prestige has held in being one of the oldest and longest running beach soccer competitions in Europe and the world.

Historically, the top eight ranking teams from the previous Euro Beach Soccer League qualified to contest the cup, hence the similar naming, with the first edition in 1998 starting off the back of the first EBSL season earlier in the year, making it one of beach soccer's main prestigious tournaments.

However, due to saturation in the calendar in recent years, the once major championship has been somewhat back-benched.

The participating teams are not always the best ranked as in the past (notably in 2008 and 2014), with entry requirements being more lax/down to invitation, and the tournament has been moved to every two years, the last annual edition coming in 2010.

Portugal are the most successful team and the current champions, having won the tournament for the seventh time in 2016 having failed to win since 2006.