Short answers, pulled from the story.
The first world cup of beach soccer was held in Brazil, in 1995. It took place under the title Beach Soccer World Championships and ran every year for a decade before FIFA joined hands with them in 2005.
Eric Cantona's France won the 2005 tournament after beating Portugal on penalties in the final. This marked the beginning of a new era where the governing body took direct control.
The first edition held outside Brazil was in 2008 in Marseille, France. The 2008 competition was the first time that Brazil would have to qualify for the tournament since they weren't the hosts.
Brazil are the most successful nation, with seven titles. The most recent edition in 2025 was held in Victoria, Seychelles, and crowned Brazil as champions for the seventh time, after defeating Belarus 4, 3 in the final.
Since 2009, the tournament has taken place every two years to allow continental tournaments to flourish without the burden of the World Cup qualifiers crowding the schedule every 12 months. The current format lasts over approximately 10 days and involves 16 teams initially competing in four groups of four teams.