Norway and Germany move on to Nations Cup Finals

European powerhouses Norway and Germany booked their tickets to the 2023 CEV Beach Volleyball Nations Cup Finals on Thursday, when the countries prevailed in the Preliminary Phase stop of the event held in Lillesand, Norway.

Norwegian men and German women overcame competition from other European countries to triumph at the Kokkenes, finishing at the top of Pool A in their respective genders, and will be among the eight countries that will compete in the Finals.

The defending champions among the men, the Norwegian squad had an almost perfect run in front of their home fans, dropping just one set in their campaign, which included victories over Estonia, Slovakia and England.

The hiccup happened in the first set of the final, when Hendrik Mol and Mathias Berntsen were caught off guard by English Frederick Bialokoz and Issa Batrane, but the Beach Volley Vikings came back to win 2-1 (18-21, 21-19, 15-11).

In the second match of the duel, reigning Olympic and world champions Anders Mol and Christian Sørum had no trouble topping the Bello twins Javier and Joaquin in straight sets (21-10, 21-16) to confirm the Norwegian victory.

Norway also made it to the women’s final, but the home teams couldn’t handle the power of a strong and experienced German team that was flawless all week in Lillesand - the winners also defeated Türkiye and Denmark.

The Germans started the final with the advantage after Rio 2016 Olympic champion Laura Ludwig and her partner Louisa Lippmann topped Ingrid Lunde and Kirstine Garder in straight sets (24-22, 21-18). Later, Cinja Tillmann and Svenja Müller dominated Sunniva Helland-Hansen and Emilie Olimstad also in two sets (21-17, 21-19) to secure the win.

After the conclusion of Pool A, six of the eight spots in the Nations Cup Finals have been determined - Switzerland, Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Norway have qualified among the men, while the Netherlands, Poland, Latvia, Switzerland, France and Germany are guaranteed in the women’s event. The field will be completed by the winners of this weekend’s stop in Budapest and the host country.

Created in 2022, the Nations Cup brings added weight in 2023 and 2024, serving as the European pathway in the qualification system for the beach volleyball tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympics – the countries that win the 2024 Finals among the men and the women will each earn a spot in the Games.

The event has a different competition format, promoting ‘country vs. country’ battles. Each nation is represented by two teams and the duels take place in a best-of-three format, with the decider, if needed, being a 15-point golden set.