It was originally announced that Congo DR would field a team for this tournament, but were forced to withdraw due to what is termed as 'serious administrative problems.'[3]
Group stage
Due to Congo DR's withdrawal, it was determined that the nine teams will be divided into three groups of three, with the teams in each group participating in a round-robin format. The winners of each group, along with the best second-place finisher, will advance to the knockout round.
The draw to determine the groupings and schedule for the nine teams was held in Casablanca on 13 June 2011.[4]
1 No qualifiers took place as the representatives were selected by the confederation. 2 CONCACAF and CONMEBOL held a joint championship for qualification. 3 Qualification was achieved through the Euro Beach Soccer League. (p) This indicates an additional play-off round, supplement to the main qualification event.