Portugal’s home heroes ready to face legends at #BeachNationsCup Final

Espinho’s Praia da Baía is getting ready to become the capital of European Beach Volleyball, hosting the CEV Beach Volley Nations Cup 2025 Finals from July 17 to 20. For the first time in history, Portugal is hosting this prestigious event, which brings together the best pairs from eight countries to compete for the title.

Portugal, participating as the host country, is represented in the men’s competition by their top domestic pairs: the three-time national champions João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos, and the vice-champions, brothers Gonçalo and Tomás Sousa. Both teams are looking to bring joy to the crowd, which is expected to fill the stands.

The competition, organised by the Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV) in partnership with the Espinho City Council (CME), promises moments of great excitement.

“The Nations Cup is an important event that will help our teams, João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos, and the brothers Gonçalo and Tomás Sousa, to score points and move up in the world ranking,” highlights Vicente Araújo, President of the Portuguese Volleyball Federation (FPV). “Major international events are always held in Espinho, and once again, with the support of the local council, we are confident that we will have a good competition and a good event with a large crowd. Espinho is a Volleyball city, and we are sure that we will have a lot of people at Praia da Baía watching the games of this Nations Cup,” he concludes.

According to national coach Ricardo Rocha, the preparation has been rigorous. “We carried out careful planning to be in the best shape for all the competitions. For the Nations Cup, we had more time to prepare everything, including with our physical trainer, and the fact that we have a stage of the National Circuit now happening at Praia da Baía serves as a crucial preparation for the place where we will play,” he stated.

Rocha also emphasised the importance of facing the best: “We know the best European countries will be here with their best pairs, and we are ready to face this challenge. Our athletes already have experience at this level and know most of their opponents well from the world circuit.” 

Playing at home, the psychological factor and the support of the public will be important assets. For João Pedrosa, who is from Espinho, the emotion of competing in front of his family and friends is unique. “I am very happy to play at home. My family and friends have few opportunities to see us play live, as most tournaments are outside our country. Their support on the court could make a difference.”

Hugo Campos shares the optimism, seeing a strategic advantage in the local preparation. “The fact that we are training and competing in this weekend’s National Tour stage at Praia da Baía might give us a slight edge. Who knows, it could be what makes the difference in decisive moments. We know the competition is at a high level, but we are consolidating our position at that level, and I believe we can bring more joy to the Portuguese people.”

For brothers Gonçalo and Tomás Sousa, this will be their second Nations Cup experience, and they arrive with much more ‘baggage’. Winners of the first stage of the National Tour, the young athletes feel the progress. “Last year we had only three or four months of Beach Volleyball, and this competition was one of our first international tournaments. Now, we have a much larger set of international events, and I believe we are reaching a good level, both physically and tactically. We are going all in,” Gonçalo Sousa declared.

Tomás Sousa expressed his gratitude for playing in Espinho, the place where he started the sport, and guaranteed they are ready for the challenge. “It is a privilege to have a tournament of this magnitude at home. We are fully prepared. We know the level will be high, but we will make the job of the best teams more difficult.” 

The Challenge of Facing Legends

The competition promises to be a true test for the Portuguese pairs, who may face legendary names in Beach Volleyball. The spotlight is on the formidable Norwegian duo Anders Mol and Christian Sørum, aka the ‘Beachvolley Vikings’. Olympic champions in Tokyo 2020, World champions in 2022, and winners of four consecutive European titles, they are considered the main favourites to win. The match against this pair will be a baptism by fire for João Pedrosa and Hugo Campos, who will meet them again in Pool A of the CEV EuroBeachVolley 2025 in Düsseldorf.

With the presence of high-calibre pairs and the extra motivation of playing at home, the Portuguese teams are determined to show their strength. The stage is set for an unforgettable Beach Volleyball spectacle at Praia da Baía!