As the 2025 CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Finals in Espinho draw near, the 16 participating national teams have now learned their initial opponents for the highly anticipated pursuit of gold in Portugal.
The draws for both the men`s and women`s competitions took place on Wednesday, just one day before the event`s kickoff, promising four days of intense beach volleyball action at the renowned Praia da Baía. Launched in 2022, the Beach Nations Cup stands out in the European beach volleyball calendar as an exciting `country vs. country` competition, mirroring the format of tennis`s prestigious Davis Cup.
In each gender category, eight national teams have been strategically divided into two pools of four. The top three teams from each pool will progress to the knockout stages, with the pool winners earning a direct pass to the semifinals, while teams ranked second and third will compete in a quarterfinal round.
Men`s Tournament Overview
In the men`s division, the Netherlands, featuring the formidable pairs of Stefan Boermans/Yorick de Groot and Alexander Brouwer/Steve van de Velde, are the highest-ranked national federation and have been placed as the top seed in Pool A. Their journey will begin against defending champions France, represented by Téo Rotar/Arnaud Gauthier-Rat and Kéran Duval/Calvin Aye. Also in Pool A are Spain (Alejandro Huerta/Javier Huerta, Álvaro Vieira/Antonio Saucedo) and Lithuania (Robert Juchnevic/Artur Vasiljev, Arnas Rumsevicius/Karolis Palubinskas).
Pool B will see host nation Portugal take the top seed, with teams Hugo Campos/João Pedrosa and brothers Gonçalo/Tomas Sousa leading their charge. Their pool opponents include Norway, showcasing the talent of Anders Mol/Christian Sørum and Hendrik Mol/Mathias Berntsen; Austria, fielding Julian Hörl/Philipp Waller and Tim Berger/Timo Hammarberg; and Denmark, with Nicolai Hovmann/Christian Andersen and Mads Møllgaard/Kristoffer Abell.
The men’s pool play in Espinho is scheduled from Thursday through Friday. The quarterfinals will light up Saturday, with the semifinals and the grand final set to crown the champions on Sunday.
Women`s Tournament Overview
On the women’s side, Germany, the continent`s top-ranked nation, holds the prime position in Pool A. Their strong contingent includes reigning European champions Svenja Müller and Cinja Tillmann, alongside the skilled duo of Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grüne.
Germany will compete in Pool A against 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 features host nation Portugal, represented by Vanessa Paquete/Raquel Lacerda and Gabriela Coelho/Mariana Maia. They will face 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 their quarterfinals also taking place on Friday in Espinho. The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, culminating in the gold medal match on Sunday.
