The 33rd edition of the CEV EuroBeachVolley commenced with a significant upset and a groundbreaking result in the men`s competition. Israeli pair Eylon Elazar and Kevin Cuzmiciov made history by defeating Polish Olympians Michal Bryl and Bartosz Łosiak in their first pool play match in Düsseldorf.
In a surprising turn of events for Pool G, 24-year-old Elazar and 21-year-old Cuzmiciov triumphed over the highly experienced Polish team, who collectively boast five Olympic appearances. The Israeli duo secured a 2-1 victory (23-21, 15-21, 15-12) at the Rochus Club.
This remarkable win not only guaranteed the Israelis a spot in the tournament`s elimination rounds but also marked Israel`s first-ever victory in the EuroBeachVolley tournament. Elazar had previously participated in the 2022 and 2023 editions with former partner Netanel Ohana, but they had not managed to secure any wins.
In another Pool G match, Swedish duo Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson overcame Germans Sven Winter and Lukas Pfretzschner in a tight three-set battle (21-17, 17-21, 15-8).
Men`s 2025 CEV EuroBeachVolley – Other Key Matches
Pool D also witnessed an upset, as Swiss players Adrian Heidrich and Jonathan Jordan defeated Norwegians Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen in a tie-breaker (20-22, 21-15, 18-16). They are now set to face Dutch pair Matthew Immers and Ruben Penninga, who secured a straight-sets victory (21-19, 21-19) against Ukrainians Sergiy Popov and Eduard Reznik.
Among the tournament favorites, defending champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots of Latvia had a smooth debut, sweeping Czechs Jakub Sepka and Jiri Sedlak (21-17, 21-15) in Pool C. The other match in this pool saw French team Téo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat dominate Germans Maximilian Just and Philipp Huster with a two-set win (22-20, 25-23).
Four-time EuroBeachVolley champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum from Norway defeated Latvians Ardis Bedritis and Arturs Rinkevics 2-0 (21-12, 21-19) in Pool A. German brothers Jonas and Benedikt Sagstetter also started strongly, beating Portuguese duo Hugo Campos and João Pedrosa in straight sets (26-24, 21-18).
Reigning Olympic champions and two-time continental champions David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig of Sweden delivered a solid two-set victory (21-16, 21-13) against Italian Olympians Samuele Cottafava and Alex Ranghieri in their Pool B opener. They are now poised to play against Dutch Olympians Alexander Brouwer and Steven van de Velde, who swept French Rémi Bassereau and Calvin Aye (21-13, 21-16).
The top-seeded team in Pool E, reigning world champions Ondřej Perušič and David Schweiner, easily swept German wildcards Momme Lorenz and Tilo Rietschel (21-11, 21-14). Their next opponents will be Austrians Christoph Dressler and Philipp Waller, who needed three sets (21-18, 14-21, 15-7) to overcome Swiss Marco Krattiger and Leo Dillier in their debut.
In Pool F, Paris Olympic silver medalists and fan favorites Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler faced an early defeat, losing their first match to English pair Javier and Joaquin Bello in two sets (21-19, 21-19). The Bello twins will now compete against Dutch Olympians Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, who swept Swiss Yves Haussener and Julian Friedli (21-12, 21-10) in their opening match.
For Pool H, the first teams to secure their spots in the elimination rounds are Germans Paul Henning and Lui Wüst, who won against Spanish duo Adrián Gavira and Alejandro Huerta in a tie-breaker (22-20, 16-21, 21-19), and Austrians Tim Berger and Timo Hammarberg, who defeated Italians Gianluca Dal Corso and Marco Viscovich in straight sets (21-15, 21-10).
Pool play is set to conclude on Thursday, with eight undefeated duos advancing directly to the Round of 16, and an additional 16 teams progressing to the Round of 24, which will also take place on Thursday. The Round of 16 matches are scheduled for Friday, the quarterfinals for Saturday, and the semifinals and medal matches will culminate on Sunday.
Jasper Thornfield 
Finley Blackwood