Pools: A breakdown

The drawing of lots for the 29th EuroBeachVolley has now taken place in Vienna, one of the world’s most iconic cities for Beach Volleyball. 

The draw will be modified pool play with the top three teams progressing to the elimination rounds between the 11th and 15th of August.

The competition will feature no less than 24 Olympic teams returning straight

from the games in Tokyo to compete in Austria. 

Now that we know the full draw, let's dive into the nitty-gritty and look at how each pool has shaped up. 

In the Women’s competition reigning European Champions Annouk Verge-Depre and Joanna Hedrich were the first European Champions from Switzerland since 2004 when they were triumphant in last year’s Euro Volley in Jurmala, they will kick off their campaign in Pool A against Finland’s Nina Ahtiainen and Taru Lahti-Liukennen who will be returning to the sport after having her first child.

The highest European seed at the Olympic Games are 2018’s Euro Beach Volley silver medalist’s Tanja Huberli and Nina Betschart,  the Swiss team mates of Verge Depre and Heidrich, they will play reigning Olympic Gold Medalist and record holding 4 time winner of this event Laura Ludwig  and Maggie Kozuch in their opening match in Tokyo the two could meet again early on in Vienna if both teams win their opening games. Pool C does look quite the challenge with the Swiss having to face Frances Jupiter/Chamerau. Ludwig and Kozuch will have to get past a potential Banana skin in multi European Junior Champions Mariia Bocherova and Maria Voronina from Russia.

Latvia’s Tina Graudina and Anastasia Kravcenoka will be favourites to win Pool D, the Latvia who’s win in Euro Beach Volley in 2019 turned many heads, they just missed out on a podium in Gstaad last week, it was a second top 4 finish for them on the world tour in 3 events. They kick off their campaign against France’s Lezana Placette and Alexia Ricard. If the Latvians win their opening game, it could set up a rematch of the Moscow final against Poland’s Katazyna Kociolek and Kinga Wojtasik.

The draw also includes 2018 Champions Sanne Keizer and Madeleine Meppelink from the  Netherlands who have both won this event twice. Vassiliki Arvantiti from Greece, who last won this competition in 2007 and Spain’s Lilli and Elsa who have medalled three times.

The Men’s event will feature four former winners in this years European Championships. The Beach Volley Vikings, Anders Mol and Christian Sorum are looking to become the first team to ever win 4 European Championships in a row and will open up their defence against France’s Quincy Aye and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat.  The Norwegians are 1 of 13 Olympic teams participating in the event.

Paolo Nicolai and Daniele Lupo were the last non Viking team to win this event in 2017, they start in Pool E against Alexander Likholetov and Ruslan Bykanov from Russia. They also share the pool with World Championship Silver Medalists Clemens Wickler and Julius Thole from Germany.

2015 winner Aleksandrs Samoilovs and Janis Smedins missed out on an Olympic place this year and will start proceedings as second seed in pool C, with the inform Kantor/Losiak from Poland, Liamin/Myskiv from Russia and Ukraines Iemelianchyk/Popov in what looks like a tough start.

Stefan Boermans and Yorick De Groot have just won their first World Tour event in Gstaad, they are playing their first Euro Beach Volley and will want to continue their good form but they have may have to play fellow countrymen, 2013 World Champions and 2017 Bronze medalists Alexander Brouwer and Robert Meeuwson to win Pool E.

The draw also includes 2013 winner Adrian Gavira and Pablo Herrera from Spain and the 2019 World Champions and 2020 Euro Beach Volley runners up Oleg Stoyanovskiy and Viacheslav Krasilnikov.

Germany and Norway lead the medal table with 5 Gold medals each.