Line-up for Nations Cup Final confirmed

With the last qualifying events completed this past weekend in Alanya, we now know which eight countries are due to contest the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup 2026 Final scheduled for July 16 to 19 in Budapest. The competition featuring a highly entertaining country vs country format will reach its climax in a few weeks in the iconic and vibrant Hungarian capital city, where a Beach Volleyball competition of this calibre and magnitude will be taking place for the very first time in history. 

In the men’s competition, hosts Hungary were joined by the six pool winners – namely Türkiye, Israel, Latvia, Italy, Norway, and Portugal. The Netherlands have progressed to the Final as well as the highest-ranked country among the runners-up across all pools. Norway will therefore try to retain the title they won last year in Espinho, Portugal – in a competition that may well feature a good share of Europe’s Beach Volleyball elite especially from real powerhouses of the sport such as Latvia and the Netherlands. 

As for the women’s competition, home heroines Hungary will welcome teams from the five pool winners – Slovenia, the Netherlands, Norway, Latvia, and Ukraine – plus the two highest-ranked National Federations among those finishing the preliminary phase in second place, namely Czechia and Italy. Germany are the defending champions but they did not register for participation this time – so Budapest will for sure crown a new winner in the women’s competition. 

The Final will start with a pool phase – with the pool winners advancing directly to the semis – followed by quarterfinals, semis and a gold medal match. The Nations Cup was first introduced in 2022 and the format involving four players per nation contesting two matches plus an eventual Golden Set in case of a tie in matches won and lost accounts for a truly dramatic and incredibly entertaining experience for both athletes and fans alike.