The upcoming EuroBeachVolley tournament in Düsseldorf this month is set to attract a top-tier field, featuring numerous elite teams who are Olympic, World, and European champions. The entry list includes the biggest names in the sport alongside promising young duos. These emerging talents have distinguished themselves in age-group competitions and are now eager to challenge the best international Beach Volleyball players.
The draw for the group stage, involving 32 teams per gender across eight pools, is scheduled for Monday, July 7. The Drawing of Lots will be available for live streaming starting at 4 pm CEST.
The men`s competition boasts a particularly strong lineup of major stars. This includes Sweden`s reigning Olympic champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig, who also claimed EuroBeachVolley titles in 2022 and 2023. Tokyo 2020 Olympic champions and 2022 world champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum of Norway, who remarkably won four consecutive European titles from 2018 to 2021, are also participating. Reigning world champions Ondrej Perusic and David Schweiner from Czechia, last year`s surprising EuroBeachVolley winners Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia, and German home favourites Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler, silver medallists at Paris 2024, further highlight the impressive entry list.
Spanish Beach Volleyball icon Adrian Gavira will make his 14th consecutive appearance at the continental event. This year, he pairs with his new partner Alejandro Huerta, after contesting the event 15 times with the now-retired Pablo Herrera. Gavira previously won EuroBeachVolley gold in 2013 in Klagenfurt, Austria. Alexander Brouwer of the Netherlands, a World champion (2013) and Olympic bronze medallist (2016) with Robert Meeuwsen, continues his pursuit of European gold alongside his new partner Steven van de Velde.
The men`s tournament features teams from 16 countries. Germany has the largest representation with six teams, followed by the Netherlands and Switzerland, each with three teams.
The women`s tournament includes six former European champions. Among them are last year`s winners from The Hague, Cinja Tillmann and Svenja Müller of Germany. Latvia`s Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova are two-time European champions (2019 and 2022). Former European queens from Switzerland, Tanja Hüberli and Anouk Vergé-Dépré, will also compete, though not with their previous championship-winning partners.
Teams from 14 countries will participate in the women`s event. Germany once again has the largest contingent, entering seven teams. Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Ukraine are the next most represented nations, each sending three teams.
Based on the EuroBeachVolley Entry Ranking, the top seven teams in each gender, plus the highest-ranked team from host nation Germany, will be seeded to head the preliminary pools. The men`s top seed is Mol/Sørum, while Italy`s Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth lead the women`s entries. Gottardi earned silver last year in The Hague with her former partner Marta Menegatti, who has stepped away from competitive sport to focus on her family.
The event will take place in Düsseldorf from July 30 to August 3 at the historic Rochus Tennisclub, a venue that has previously hosted many tennis legends. This time, Beach Volleyball stars will be in the spotlight. The tournament has generated significant excitement, with tickets already sold out for the final three days of competition.
Torin Vale