The Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal and Promotion Final, as well as the Women’s Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal are to take place at the Praia de Buarcos between 9 and 12 September
This week is the week. Three of the continent’s most important and well-established beach soccer competitions are about to kick off on the beautiful Portuguese coastal resort of Figueira da Foz: The EBSL Superfinal, the EBSL Promotion Final and the first ever Women’s EBSL Superfinal. In short, they are the battles for the European crown in the men’s and women’s categories, as well as the scrap for a promotion to the European elite.
The Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL), established in 1998 and therefore the oldest beach soccer competition in Europe, returns for its 24th edition, and this year is special as the ribbon will also be cut on the first women’s edition.
All of the events will take place between 9 and 12 September at the Praia de Buarcos in Figueira da Foz, Portugal, where 24 teams, 16 men’s and eight women’s, will provide the most spectacular beach soccer on the continent.
Carlos Monteiro, Presidente da Camara de Figueira da Foz commented that, “It is very significant for us to host this competition again, which confirms Figueira da Foz as a city with privileged natural conditions for beach sports. The best proof of that is seeing how these sports, especially beach soccer, have grown within our city, with our clubs conquering successes at a national level and also with two Figueirenses being part of the Portuguese national team.”
Joan Cusco, BSWW President added that, “Figueira da Foz is one of the most important beach soccer hotspots in Europe. This city has been hosting top class beach soccer competitions for decades, and after the successful EBSL Superfinal 2019, we are happy to come back in 2021 with an even bigger competition, featuring the first ever Women’s Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal, thus confirming this venue as special for us, and it has everything you can ask for to host the most important beach soccer competitions. Last year, the Covid-19 pandemic prevented us from enjoying our event here, so we are really looking forward to make the most of our collaboration with Figueira da Foz this 2021. I want to thank the Presidente da Camara, Carlos Monteiro, for his trust and spirit, and for making it possible for us to be here again this year.”
The European kings to be crowned in Figueira
The champions of Europe will be decided this September in Figueira da Foz, that hosts the grand continental finale once more after the successful 2019 edition, with the eight best teams from the Euro Beach Soccer League Division A Regular Stage vying in Figueira da Foz (Portugal) to see who will claim the 2021 continental crown.
Portugal, Belarus, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine will be the eight nations contensting the crown.
Hosts Portugal currently hold the title and have done since 2019, but previous winners of the European title, such as the newly-crowned world champions Russia, will be hungry to regain their former glory. The last nation that wasn’t Portugal to claim the EBSL crown was Italy in 2018, but after winning the 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup just a week ago, Russia may be the biggest threat to Narciso’s men.
The fight for Promotion to European beach soccer elite
The prize for the winner of the 2021 Promotion Final is simple – a place amongst the European beach soccer elite. The best teams from the Euro Beach Soccer League Division B Regular Stage, which took place in Moldova in July, will battle in Figueira da Foz (Portugal) for the Division A spot.
Seven nations, Czech Republic, Estonia, Greece, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Moldova and Sweden, as well as Turkey as the lowest-ranked team from Division A, will compete in Figueira da Foz for the Promotional Final.
Making history: The first ever Women’s Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal
The brand-new Women’s Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal will land in Figueira da Foz to decide the champions of Europe in the final stage of the event. Most of the eight competing teams – Portugal, Czech Republic, England, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine – first met in the Regular Stage in Nazaré in June, where England came out on top.
The champions of the maiden edition of the league will be decided in September at the Superfinal. Ukraine may be competing in their first-ever European championship, but the squad is composed of many of the Mryia 2006 players who lifted the 2020 Euro Winners Cup on their debut appearance.
This could mean that they are real contenders to try and dethrone Russia, who won the last Women’s Euro Beach Soccer Cup in 2019.
England have moved above group rivals Russia in the Official World Ranking and will be eyeing a return to the top, while Spain, who took gold medals at the ANOC World Beach Games in Qatar in 2019, are currently ranked as the best team in the world. On top of that, hosts Portugal, returning to the sand after a five-year absence, are also full of promising stars. Picking a clear winner here is almost impossible!
For more information on the event, please visit: https://beachsoccer.com/event/euro-beach-soccer-league-superfinal
