Euro Winners Cup 2021 starts its engines!

Nazaré, one of the top beach soccer locations in the world, is alive with athletes and delegates ready to contend the biggest club honour on the continent – the Euro Winners Cup.

The ninth edition of the Men’s EWC, and the sixth of the Women’s EWC, will see no less than 182 matches over the course of seven action-packed days! The games will take place from 12 to 18 July in the ultimate beach soccer venue and top of the range stadium in Nazaré, Portugal, to create another year of sporting history. 

Numerous debutant sides will be making the trip, including 11 new men’s teams and seven new women’s teams, showcasing once more the consistent growth of the sport.

A draw on Wednesday 7 July organised the 67 (50 men’s and 17 women’s) European beach soccer clubs taking part in the 2021 Euro Winners Cup into groups.

The men’s first round of matches will feature 11 groups of four and two groups of three, as defending champions Kristall (RUS) are set to be tested against Marseille Beach Team (FRA), local club GD OS Nazarenos (POR) and CD San Francisco (ESP) first.

Angelo Schirinzi’s men arrive in Portugal straight after reclaiming the Russian league, one of the world’s top domestic competitions, and will be confident in the fight to retain their title. The men in orange will face stiff opposition, including a potential meeting against their old rivals SC Braga, one of highest-quality fixtures in the sport between two of the highest-ranked teams in the world.

Both clubs have claimed three of the nine editions of the Euro Winners Cup, meeting in the final twice, and victory in the 2021 event would put one ahead in the race for European dominance.

As well as local Portuguese side Braga, Kristall will also have to see off claims from Viareggio (ITA), winners of the 2016 edition, who make a triumphant return to the European championships, as well as the winners of the first ever Euro Winners Cup and Russian rivals, Lokomotiv Moscow.

In the women’s competition, the 18 teams will play in three groups of six. The reigning queens of Europe, BSC Mriya 2006 (UKR), burst onto the beach soccer scene in 2020 when they won the competition on their debut appearance, and their first three matches will be against CFP Cáceres Femenino (ESP), Madrid CFF (ESP), New Team Brussels (BEL), CD Futbol Playa Huelva (ESP) and Casa Benfica Caldas De Rainha (POR).

However, they also will have to fend off previous winners, as AIS Playas de San Javier from Spain make a return to Nazaré after missing out on the 2020 edition, as well as Russia’s Zvezda

The Men’s and Women’s Euro Winners Cups will take place in Nazaré, Portugal from 12 to 18 July, where a total of 68 teams will battle for the 2021 edition.

For updates and more details on the Men’s and Women’s Euro Winners Cup, head to beachsoccer.com. https://beachsoccer.com/