World Championships have been held in ballroom dancing since 1909 when Camille de Rhynal held annual championships in Paris. Records of the years prior to the First World War are sketchy, and it is only since 1922 when the sport split into professional and amateur levels that complete records have been kept. The 1922 championships were also the first to award a single 'world championship' as opposed to titles in the individual dances.

These annual competitions only became official in 1936, and since 1937 the title has only left the United Kingdom three times (in 2000, 2005 and 2006). With the outbreak of the Second World War, the championships were put on hold for six years. Following its revival, the professional ballroom dancing world was becoming more and more fragmented as competing organizations vied for domination. Finally, in September 1950 the ICBD (International Council of Ballroom Dancing) was founded, becoming the world's first international professional dance organisation, and all competitions claiming to be the 'World Championships' were boycotted by all member nations.

The Championships returned once again in 1959 under the control of the ICBD, and have continued since then. The ICBD has since been renamed as the World Dance & DanceSport Council (WD&DSC).

The Professional Standard section (occasionally called Professional Modern, in British tradition) of DanceSport covers the dances waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, foxtrot and quickstep.