The men`s team from Denmark and the women`s team from France have secured their spots in the 2025 CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup Finals. Both nations topped their respective Preliminary Phase pools held on Wednesday in Messina, Italy.
Following the competition in Italy, six out of eight coveted spots in the Final Phase have now been claimed for each gender. The Finals are scheduled to take place in Espinho from July 17th to 20th. Qualified men`s teams currently include Spain, the Netherlands, Czechia, France, and Denmark, who will join hosts Portugal. For the women, Spain, Estonia, Germany, the Netherlands, and France have qualified to play alongside Portugal.
The remaining national teams participating in this year`s exciting Beach Nations Cup Finals – a `country vs country` format similar to tennis` Davis Cup, introduced in 2022 – will be determined later this week. The final preliminary pools will be contested in Riga and Vilnius.
Denmark`s Upset Victory in Men`s Pool E
Denmark emerged as a significant force in the Preliminary Phase, achieving arguably the biggest surprise by winning the men`s event in Messina`s Piazza Duomo. They overcame not one, but two established continental powerhouses, Germany and Italy, to clinch their spot in the Finals.
The Danish team secured their qualification on Tuesday with victories over both Germany and Italy. Their series against Germany began with a loss, as Kristoffer Abell and Christian Andersen were defeated by Momme Lorenz and Tilo Rietschel 2-1 (21-18, 18-21, 15-10). However, Mads Møllgaard and Nicolai Hovmann delivered a commanding sweep (21-17, 21-16) against the Sagstetter brothers, Benedikt and Jonas, sealing the win for Denmark.
Their triumph against the host nation, Italy, followed a similar pattern. Abell and Andersen lost the first match to Samuele Cottafava and Gianluca Dal Corso 2-0 (21-18, 21-17). But Møllgaard and Hovmann once again rose to the occasion, defeating Enrico Rossi and Marco Viscovich in straight sets (21-16, 21-18) to secure first place in the pool.
Denmark overcame Germany and Italy to qualify.
Experienced French Women Head to Finals
In the women`s tournament, experience proved crucial. France, featuring four Olympians in their squad, triumphed in their pool and earned their ticket to Espinho.
On Tuesday, the French squad won both matches against Belgium. Lézana Placette and Alexia Richard secured a straight-sets victory (21-11, 21-12) over Simone Vervloet and Lente Thant, while Clémence Viera and Aline Chamereau won in a tie-breaker (21-16, 14-21, 15-11) against Inès Piret and Youna Coens.
The decisive series to determine the pool winner was scheduled for Wednesday against Italy. However, the Italian team was unable to compete after Reka Orsi Toth sustained an ankle injury, resulting in a forfeit of both matches against France. This walkover confirmed France as the pool winners.
France were better than hosts Italy and Belgium.
The final two Preliminary Phase pools for the CEV Beach Nations Cup are set to take place this week. Riga will host matches from Friday to Saturday, and Vilnius will hold its tournament from Saturday to Sunday, completing the lineup for the Finals.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood