Former world champion Sara Hughes headlines beach volleyball Pro Tour's return to India – Preview

The premier international beach volleyball event, The Beach World Pro Tour, is returning to India after a one-year gap. It will be held from 4 to 8 March, 2026 in Bhubaneswar. 

Around 120 athletes from over 15 countries will compete in what is the the second tier of the Pro circuit.

In the women's section, the 2023 World Champion Sara Hughes and her new partner Ally Batenhorst of the USA will be the top seed and the favourites to win the title.

However, the top-seed in the men's section, Jonas Sagstetter and Benedikt Sagstetter of Germany, withdrew from the tournament as there VISA was not approved.

India will field one pair each in the men's and women's main draw, plus three pairs per gender in the qualifying round, with hopes of advancing to the main competition.

For Indian athletes, this tournament can also serve as a qualifying event for the Asian Beach Games in April and the Aichi-Hagoya Asian Games in September.

Indian Squad for 2026 World Beach Pro Tour Challenge

Men: Abithan Senthilkumar/ Udaya Suriyan Poonthamizhan (Main Draw), Barath Sonu/ Rajesh Vinaygamoorthy, Mahasim Khan/ Prajna Sarathi Jena, Mohan Biswal/ Rahul Barik (Qualifying Round)

Women: Sasikala Veerapathiran/Kanimozhi Lakshmanan (Main Draw), Deepika Kandasamy/ Pavithra Sudalaikasi, Ananya Singh/ Shibani Priyadarshini, Srividya Dash/Sthita Prangya Jena (Qualifying Round)

Schedule of 2026 World Beach Pro Tour Challenge (All timings in IST)

March 4th - Qualification Round - 8:00 AM

March 5th - Main Draw Pool Stage - 8:00 AM

March 6th - Preliminary Knockout Round - 8:00 AM

March 7th - Round of 16 & Quarter-finals - 8:00 AM

March 8th - Semi-finals & Finals - 9:00 AM

Where to Watch?

All the action of the 2026 World Beach Volleyball Pro Tour Challenge Bhubaneshwar will be live-streamed on the Beach Volleyball World official YouTube Channel.