Austria and Spain successfully navigated the quarterfinal round of the 2025 CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Finals on Saturday in Espinho. They now join top pool finishers Norway and the Netherlands, setting the stage for Sunday`s decisive matches.
The semifinals are scheduled for Sunday, July 20, 2025. Austria will face the Netherlands at 9:30 and 10:30 local time, followed by Spain against Norway at 12:00 and 13:00. The final match of the tournament will also take place on Sunday.
Austria`s Path to the Semifinals
Finishing second in Pool B, Austria took on Lithuania in the quarterfinals, securing their advancement with two victories. Julian Hörl and Philipp Waller claimed the first point for Austria, winning a tie-breaker against Robert Juchnevic and Artur Vasiljev (18-21, 21-18, 15-9). Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg then sealed the deal with a straight-sets win (21-15, 21-14) over Arnas Rumsevicius and Karolis Palubinskas.
Spain Triumphs in Iberian Derby
Hours later, Spain, who placed second in Pool A, mirrored Austria`s success by defeating host nation Portugal in an Iberian Derby. Spain started strong, with Álvaro Viera and Antonio Saucedo sweeping Gonçalo and Tomas Sousa (21-17, 21-14). The Huerta brothers, Alejandro and Javier, then confirmed their victory by overcoming Hugo Campos and João Pedrosa 2-1 (20-22, 21-19, 15-11).
About the CEV Beach Nations Cup
The Beach Nations Cup, introduced to the European beach volleyball calendar in 2022, is an exciting country-versus-country competition, drawing parallels to tennis`s Davis Cup format.
