Espinho is set to host the 2025 CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Finals this week, featuring women`s beach volleyball teams from eight nations, including many of Europe`s top contenders and seasoned athletes.
The picturesque Praia da Baía will be the venue for the climactic stage of the Beach Nations Cup, an innovative `country vs. country` format introduced in 2022, akin to tennis`s Davis Cup. Alongside host nation Portugal, seven other countries – Estonia, France, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Spain, and Ukraine – have qualified by winning their respective preliminary pools and will compete from Thursday to Sunday.
The eight qualified nations will be divided into two pools of four. The top three teams from each pool will advance to the knockout stages, with pool winners securing direct berths in the semifinals, while second and third-placed teams will compete in quarterfinal matches.
CEV Beach Nations Cup Finals – Women: Key Teams and Players
Among the notable participants are the reigning EuroBeachVolley champions, Germany`s Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann. They lead a formidable lineup boasting 11 Olympians in total. Müller and Tillmann, who competed for Germany at the Paris Olympics and secured a bronze at the 2022 World Championship, are key figures in their strong German team, which also includes experienced blocker Sandra Ittlinger and promising defender Anna-Lena Grüne.
France`s contingent includes four Olympians, comprising both pairs who represented the host nation at last year`s Paris Games: Lézana Placette/Alexia Richard and Clémence Vieira/Aline Chamereau.
Spain`s leading duo, Daniela Álvarez and Tania Moreno, silver medalists at the 2023 EuroBeachVolley and Paris Olympians, will compete alongside Sofía González and Ana Vergara. Similarly, the Lithuanian team features Paris Olympians Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte, playing with Ariana Rudkoviskaja and Skalve Krizanauskaite.
The reigning champions, the Netherlands, bring the 11th Olympian to the event, Raisa Schoon, a defender who participated in both the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Games. Schoon will team up with Mila Konink, and they will be joined by Emi van Driel and Wies Bekhuis, both members of the Dutch squad that secured gold in the 2024 Beach Nations Cup.
Host nation Portugal will field Gabriela Coelho/Mariana Maia and Vanessa Paquete/Beatriz Lacerda, aiming to perform strongly for their home crowd.
Ukraine, an emerging force in European beach volleyball, will be represented by Anhelina Khmil/Valentyna Davidova and Maryna Hladun/Tetiana Lazarenko, both teams demonstrating consistent international results this season.
The final contender in Espinho is Estonia, who impressively qualified by overcoming Poland in the Preliminary Phase. Their teams for the Finals are Heleene Hollas/Keira Lukas and Eva Kuivonen/Liisa-Lotta Jürgenson.
The women`s pool play will commence on Thursday and conclude on Friday, with the quarterfinals also taking place on Friday. Semifinal matches are slated for Saturday, leading up to the highly anticipated gold medal match on Sunday.
