In two weeks’ time, the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals in Fort Lauderdale will set a new standard of quality in beach volleyball.

• Facebook
• Twitter

Ten male and ten female teams from eight nations will be competing in the event – the 16^th for the women and the 15^th for the men on the 2015 FIVB World Tour calendar. The tournament brings to a climax a season that started in April and stretched over 11 countries. The inaugural event features the top eight teams on the FIVB World Tour as well as two wild-card teams per gender.

Women – Pool Standings

The clock to the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals in Fort Lauderdale is ticking. While the actual times and dates of the games - which team competes against another – won’t be revealed until later this week, spectators are getting a glimpse of the range of fascinating games to expect.

Excitement surrounding the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals is building up - not only amongst fans but also for the players: "Chaim and I are both pretty excited to have qualified. It's a new challenge involving the best of the best, with money and pride on the line. I've always thought some sort of Championship to end the season would make for an exciting event. It's a way for the top teams to try to end the season with bragging rights, and I think we can expect to see (and play) a lot of entertaining beach volleyball.“ said Ben Saxton of Team Canada after the pools were released.

Men – Pool Standings

PRIZE MONEY - Here is the breakdown of prize money per gender. The winning teams will split the biggest gold-medal check since the start of FIVB events for men in 1987 and for women in 1992.  

• Gold, 1st - $100,000
• Silver, 2nd - $60,000
• Bronze, 3rd - $30,000
• 4th - $15,000
• 5th - $10,000
• 7th -$7,500
• 9th - $5,000

SCHEDULE - Pool play matches will be played on two courts for the first four days (September 29-October 2) with the elimination and medal matches on the Center Court for the last two days (October 3-4). The Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals will take place at Fort Lauderdale Beach Park in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

• Tuesday, September 29 - Pool play (16 matches)
• Wednesday, September 30 - Pool play (8)
• Thursday, October 1 - Pool play (8)
• Friday, October 2 - Pool play (8)
• Saturday, October 3 - Quarter- and semi-finals (8)
• Sunday, October 4 - Bronze and Gold Medal (4)

ADMISSION – Entrance to the event is free and open to the public with general admission seating. The organizers of the Swatch Beach Volleyball FIVB World Tour Finals expect a minimum of 30,000 spectators during the six days of competition.

TELEVISION - More than 10 hours of live coverage will be aired on Universal Sports network beginning October 2.  The gold medal matches will be broadcast live on October 4 on NBC at 2:30 p.m. EDT.