Two more countries have secured their places in the 2025 CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Finals. On Saturday in Riga, Latvia, the Austrian men`s team and the Ukrainian women`s team emerged victorious in their respective Preliminary Phase pools, qualifying for the finals set to take place in four weeks.
The Beach Nations Cup, an exciting `country vs country` competition similar to the Davis Cup in tennis, was introduced in 2022. The 2025 Finals will be hosted in Espinho, Portugal, from July 17-20, featuring eight national teams in both the men`s and women`s categories.
In addition to hosts Portugal, the men`s event already includes Spain, the Netherlands, Czechia, France, Denmark, and now Austria. For the women`s competition, Spain, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Ukraine have successfully qualified.
CEV Beach Nations Cup – Men’s Pool B
Austria`s qualification in Riga was a dramatic affair. Their national team edged out hosts Latvia for the top spot in Pool B through a tie-breaker based on point ratio, thus securing their place in the Finals.
After defeating Israel on Friday, the Austrians and Latvians met on Saturday with qualification at stake. The Austrians won the first match, with Julian Hörl and Moritz Pristauz beating Arturs Rinkevics and Ardis Bedritis 2-1 (21-19, 21-23, 15-4). Although Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg were defeated 0-2 (21-16, 25-23) by the reigning European champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots in the second match, Austria`s better point ratio over the tie was sufficient to claim first place in the pool.
CEV Beach Nations Cup – Women’s Pool C
Ukraine`s women`s team qualified more decisively, winning all their matches against both Israeli and Latvian pairs at the O-Sands Beach Stadium over Friday and Saturday to finish at the top of Pool C.
On Friday, Valentyna Davidova and Anhelina Khmil started by defeating Ronni Lavie and Shiray Danenberg of Israel in straight sets 2-0 (21-8, 21-7). Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko followed suit, also winning in two sets (21-11, 21-13) against Daniela Gonzalez and Dafna Maor.
The crucial series against the Latvians began with Davidova and Khmil sweeping Līva Ēbere and Paula Krieva 2-0 (21-17, 21-16). Hladun and Lazarenko then sealed the victory for Ukraine by overcoming Anija Ozolina and Marta Ozolina in the deciding tie-breaker set (21-18, 17-21, 15-11).
The final berths in the Finals for both genders will be decided on Sunday, as the last preliminary pools conclude in Vilnius. In the women`s competition, Lithuania, Croatia, Finland, and Norway are competing. For the men`s side, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, and Slovenia are the nations vying for the remaining spot.
Finley Blackwood 
Jasper Thornfield