European champions represent Latvia in Riga

Beach Volleyball

Beach Nations Cup

European champions Martins Plavins and Kristians Fokerots, who secured Latvia`s first EuroBeachVolley title in nearly a decade last year, are set for another significant task this week. They will captain Latvia`s men`s squad during the Preliminary Phase of the 2025 CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup, hosted in their home capital, Riga.

The O-Sands Beach Stadium is hosting both the men`s Pool B, which includes Austria, Israel, and Latvia, and the women`s Pool C, featuring Israel, Latvia, and Ukraine. Matches are scheduled to take place from Friday through Saturday.

The top team from each gender`s pool will qualify for the Beach Nations Cup Finals. This exciting `country vs country` format, introduced in 2022, is similar to the Davis Cup in tennis. This year`s Finals are slated for July 17-20 in Espinho, where they will join host Portugal and the seven winners from the preliminary pools.

Plavins and Fokerots, who won last year`s EuroBeachVolley, arrive in Riga following a recent victory at the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures event held in Jurmala just last week. Joining them on the Latvian team in Riga this week will be Arturs Rinkevics and Ardis Bedritis.

CEV Beach Nations Cup – Men’s Pool B

Austria is anticipated to be Latvia`s main rival in Riga this week. Austria`s team for the event consists of the pairs Tim Berger/Timo Hammarberg and Julian Hörl/Moritz Pristauz.

Israel, considered the underdog in this pool, will see Eylon Elazar/Kevin Cuzmiciov and Tamir Hershko/River Day competing, aiming to secure a spot for their country in the Finals.

In the women`s event, Latvia will primarily rely on young talent hoping for success on their home sand. One Latvian team comprises 17-year-old Līva Ēbere and 19-year-old Deniela Konstantinova, while the other pairs 21-year-old Anija Ozolina with 30-year-old Marta Ozolina.

CEV Beach Nations Cup – Women’s Pool C

Ukraine, a growing force in European beach volleyball, is sending two strong pairs to compete in Riga this week: Valentyna Davidova/Anhelina Khmil and Maryna Hladun/Tetiana Lazarenko.

Similar to their male counterparts, Israel`s women`s teams, Daniela Gonzalez/Dafna Maor and Ronni Rivka Lavie/Shiray Danenberg, will also seek to challenge higher-ranked opponents and potentially cause upsets during the tournament.