With the 2025 CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Finals on the horizon this Thursday, the 16 national teams gearing up for the tournament`s decisive stage in Espinho have now learned their initial opponents. This highly anticipated event promises thrilling competition as teams battle for the coveted gold medal in Portugal.
Paris Olympians Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot are part of the Dutch team that spearheads Pool A.
The draw, held on Wednesday, a day before the event commenced, determined the two pools for both the men`s and women`s competitions, setting the stage for four days of intense duels at the picturesque Praia da Baía. Introduced to the European beach volleyball calendar in 2022, the Beach Nations Cup is a unique “country vs. country” competition, drawing parallels to tennis`s prestigious Davis Cup.
Eight national teams in each gender have been strategically divided into two pools of four. The top three teams from each pool will progress to the knockout rounds. Pool winners will secure a direct berth in the semifinals, while the second and third-placed teams will engage in a quarterfinal showdown.
Men`s Tournament Outlook
On the men`s side, the Netherlands, represented by the formidable pairs of Stefan Boermans/Yorick de Groot and Alexander Brouwer/Steve van de Velde, stands as the highest-ranked national federation and will lead Pool A.
The Dutch team will contend with the defending champions France, whose roster includes Téo Rotar/Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Kéran Duval/Calvin Aye. Also in Pool A are Spain, featuring Alejandro Huerta/Javier Huerta and Álvaro Vieira/Antonio Saucedo, and Lithuania, represented by Robert Juchnevic/Artur Vasiljev and Arnas Rumsevicius/Karolis Palubinskas.
Pool B features the host nation Portugal as the top-seeded country, with their teams composed of Hugo Campos/João Pedrosa and the brother duo Gonçalo/Tomas Sousa. They will face strong opposition from Norway (Anders Mol/Christian Sørum, Hendrik Mol/Mathias Berntsen), Austria (Julian Hörl/Philipp Waller, Tim Berger/Timo Hammarberg), and Denmark (Nicolai Hovmann/Christian Andersen, Mads Møllgaard/Kristoffer Abell).
The men`s pool play in Espinho is scheduled for Thursday and Friday. The quarterfinals will unfold on Saturday, leading up to the semifinals and the grand final on Sunday.
Women`s Tournament Outlook
In the women`s competition, Germany, the continent`s top-ranked nation, has been assigned the leading position in Pool A. Their powerful team includes reigning European champions Svenja Müller/Cinja Tillmann and the skilled duo of Sandra Ittlinger/Anna-Lena Grüne.
Joining Germany in Pool A are France’s Alexia Richard/Lézana Placette and Clémence Vieira/Aline Chamereau; the Netherlands’ Emi van Driel/Wies Bekhuis and Mila Konink/Raïsa Schoon; and Lithuania’s Monika Paulikiene/Aine Raupelyte and Ariana Rudkovskaja/Skalve Krizanauskaite.
Pool B will see Portugal’s Vanessa Paquete/Raquel Lacerda and Gabriela Coelho/Mariana Maia compete against Ukraine’s Maryna Hladun/Tetiana Lazarenko and Valentyna Davidova/Anhelina Khmil; Spain’s Daniela Álvarez/Tania Moreno and Sofía González/Ana Vergara; and Estonia’s Eva Kuivonen/Liisa-Lotta Jürgenson and Heleene Hollas/Keira Lukas.
Women`s pool play will also run from Thursday to Friday, with the quarterfinals set for Friday. The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, culminating in the gold medal match on Sunday.
