EuroBeachVolley 2025 Previews – Women’s Pools E-H

The annual celebration of European beach volleyball is coming up shortly, as next week, between Wednesday and Sunday, the best teams on the continent will be reunited in Düsseldorf, Germany, to compete in the 33rd edition of the CEV EuroBeachVolley.

Returning to Germany for the fourth time in history and getting to a fourth different city in the most successful country in the tournament to date, the event will be held at the popular Rochus Club and should be the most competitive in recent years, with every top team on the continent having confirmed participation.

The 32 women’s teams were split into eight pools of four and will each play twice in the modified pool play system. The eight pool winners will advance directly to the Round of 16, with the 16 teams ranked second and third having to go through the Round of 24 first.

Pool play for the women will take place between Wednesday and Thursday, when the Round of 24 matches will also be held. The Round of 16 and the quarterfinals will follow on Friday and the semifinals on Saturday, with the medal matches happening on Sunday.

It should be an exciting week of elite-level beach volleyball in Düsseldorf and, as the first serve nears, let’s continue to take a look at the eight pools in each gender, now analyzing Pools A, B, C and D in the women’s tournament:

Pool E

Teams: Clémence Vieira/Aline Chamereau (France), Monika Paulikiene/Aine Raupelyte (Lithuania), Linda Bock/Louisa Lippmann (Germany) and Katerina Pavelková/Anna Pavelková (Czechia)

Vieira/Chamereau and Paulikiene/Raupelyte, who both represented their countries at the Paris Olympics last year, stand out as the top teams in the pool and should fight for the top spot. The French are undeniably in better form in 2025, having won medals in back-to-back Beach Pro Tour Challenge events, and appear to be in a better spot to advance to the Round of 16.

A new team in 2025, Bock and Lippmann have understandably been a little bit inconsistent in their first months as partners, but showed what they can when they play well with their recent second-place at the Stare Jablonki Challenge in June. The reigning U22 European champions, the Pavelková twins are the future of Czech beach volleyball, but may not be ready yet to contend at this level.

If they can keep their recent good form, the French should be able to finish at the top of the standings. The Lithuanians have good chemistry and a towering blocker at the net, but if they don’t bring their best game, the Germans can easily challenge them.

Pool F

Teams: Claudia Scampoli/Giada Bianchi (Italy), Niina Ahtiainen/Taru Lahti (Finland), Daniela Álvarez/Tania Moreno (Spain) and Hanna-Marie Schieder/Karla Borger (Germany)

Pool F has probably the most balance among all eight pools in Düsseldorf and no clear favorite to finish first. Álvarez and Moreno, the 2023 EuroBeachVolley silver medalists and Paris 2024 Olympians, are a tier above everyone else as a team, but have been battling injuries this season and haven’t been able to pick up a good rhythm yet.

Scampoli and Bianchi have done good things in a short period together, but they get to the EuroBeachVolley with just four tournaments as partners. Ahtiainen and Lathi have been Finland’s top team at the international level for some years now and won silver in a Beach Pro Tour Challenge event recently, but have been having ups and downs over the last few years. A two-time Olympian, Borger is one of the most experienced players in the event, but her new team with Schieder hasn’t been able to accomplish much beyond Futures events and still needs to be proven at a higher level.

If they are able to play anywhere near their usual level, the Spanish should come out on top in this pool. The battle for the two other spots should be tough, but considering the good form of the Italians and the homecourt advantage that will help the Germans, they seem to be the best bets to move forward.

Pool G

Teams: Maryna Hladun/Tetiana Lazarenko (Ukraine), Lézana Placette/Alexia Richard (France), Noa Sonneville/Brecht Piersma (the Netherlands) and Janne Uhl/Paula Schürholz (Germany)

Hladun and Lazarenko have won five medals on the Beach Pro Tour since they became partners last year and continue to get better. They won gold in two Challenge events within the last eight months and are going to Düsseldorf with expectations of winning the pool.

Paris Olympians Placette and Richard have the most experience in the pool and should have no trouble advancing, but they haven’t been playing at their usual level and have suffered some tough losses in 2025. That opens the door for Sonneville and Piersma, who almost took them down last month in Poland and are still finding their identity as a team, and Uhl and Schürholz, who are still young, but will have the home fans backing them during the event.

The Ukrainians should not only win the pool, but also firmly be in the mix for a semifinal appearance if they continue to play well. The French are superior to the Dutch and the Germans, but seem to have lost some of their confidence and could be vulnerable to an upset.

Pool H

Teams: Svenja Müller/Cinja Tillmann (Germany), Malgorzata Ciezkowska/Urszula Lunio (Poland), Daniele Kvedaraite/Jekaterina Kovalskaja (Lithuania) and Maria Carro/Marta Carro (Spain)

Reigning champions Müller and Tillmann will try to defend the title they won last year and should have no trouble taking the first step to do it by winning the pool, as they’re considerably more talented and experienced than all three opponents.

The 2023 U20 European champions, Ciezkowska and Lunio are coming from solid finishes on the Beach Pro Tour and have a good chance of advancing to the elimination rounds. Kvedaraite and Kovalskaja had a solid 2024 season, but cooled off a little bit this year and will likely need to fight the Carro sisters, who will play together for the first time in their careers in Düsseldorf, for a spot in the next round.

Only a massive upset should prevent the Germans from ranking first in the pool. The Polish are the most likely to finish second and should also advance without any hiccups. The battle for the third spot should be a fun one to follow, as the Lithuanians have better chemistry and more experience, but the Spanish have reached a higher level individually.