The highly anticipated 2025 CEV Beach Volleyball Nations Cup men`s final is set to take place in Espinho, Portugal, from July 17-20. What began with 26 national teams in May has now narrowed down to the top eight nations, all vying for the coveted title.
The picturesque Praia da Baía will host representatives from Austria, Denmark, France, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain – each winners of their respective Preliminary Phase pools – alongside host nation Portugal. Introduced in 2022, the Beach Nations Cup offers an exciting `country vs. country` format, reminiscent of tennis`s Davis Cup.
The eight qualified nations will be divided into two pools of four. The top three teams from each pool will advance to the elimination rounds. Pool winners will directly qualify for the semifinals, while second and third-ranked teams will compete in quarterfinal matches.
CEV Beach Nations Cup Finals – Men`s Tournament Overview
The men’s tournament in Portugal promises a strong field, featuring an impressive nine Olympians, including three Olympic medalists and world champions.
Leading the charge are the FIVB World Rankings` top team, Norwegian stars Anders Mol and Christian Sørum. This formidable duo boasts an incredible record, including two Olympic medals (gold in Tokyo 2020 and bronze in Paris 2024), a World Championship title (2022), and four EuroBeachVolley crowns (2018, 2019, 2020, 2021). They will represent Norway alongside Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen.
The Netherlands stands out as the only country bringing four Olympians to the event, represented by Alexander Brouwer/Steven van de Velde and Stefan Boermans/Yorick de Groot. The 35-year-old Brouwer is the most decorated among them, having competed in both Rio 2016 (winning bronze) and Tokyo 2020, and securing a World Championship title back in 2013. Van de Velde (bronze in 2024), Boermans, and de Groot (silver in 2021) have all earned EuroBeachVolley medals in recent years.
Defending champions France will include one Paris Olympian in each of their teams, with three of the four players from last year`s winning squad in Jurmala returning. Olympian Arnaud Gauthier-Rat will reunite with partner Téo Rotar, while fellow Olympian Rémi Bassereau will now pair with Calvin Aye.
Completing the list of Olympians competing in Espinho this week is Austria`s Julian Hörl, who represented his country at the Paris Games last year. He will play alongside Philipp Waller, while youngsters Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg form Austria’s second duo.
Host nation Portugal will place their hopes primarily on the country`s top team, Hugo Campos and João Pedrosa. Brothers Gonçalo and Tomas Sousa will also join their compatriots, competing in front of their home fans.
Spain also features a pair of brothers, with Alejandro and Javier Huerta combining forces to represent their country this week in Espinho. The other Spanish duo will be Álvaro Vieira and Antonio Saucedo.
Arguably the biggest surprise in the men’s field, Denmark will be represented by Nicolai Hovmann and Christian Andersen. Lithuania, which also overcame higher-ranked opponents to qualify, will aim to continue defying expectations with Robert Juchnevic/Artur Vasiljev and Arnas Rumsevicius/Karolis Palubinskas.
Pool play for the men`s teams in Espinho will take place from Thursday to Friday. The quarterfinals are scheduled for Saturday, with the semifinals and the grand final set for Sunday.
