Generally accepted as starting on Rio de Janeiro's Leme beach among the locals, the modern form of beach soccer began in 1992 with an exhibition event on the shores of Los Angeles. The first professional event was staged in 1994 in Miami Beach with teams from Italy, the United States and Brazil, with the first world championship a year later on Copacabana Beach.

FIFA formally recognized beach soccer with the first World Cup in 2005 and staged annual championships in conjunction with Beach Soccer Worldwide until 2009. The event will change to a biennial event beginning in 2011.

CONCACAF staged its first qualifying event for the World Cup in 2005 with South America, sending the United States, Mexico and Canada to Brazil with five CONMEBOL nations. By 2006, CONCACAF staged its continental championship and continued it annually until FIFA altered the calendar after 2009.

CONCACAF Championships
Year  Venue                      World Cup Qualifiers
2005  Brazil                       United States
2006  Costa Rica             Canada, *United States
2007  Mexico                     Mexico, *United States
2008  Mexico                     El Salvador, *Mexico
2009  Mexico                     *El Salvador, Costa Rica
2010  Mexico                     El Salvador, *Mexico
*champion