Matosinhos, Portugal, June 5, 2014.  Portugal is set to host another important beach volleyball international competition, this time in Matosinhos, a city with a strong tradition in the sport.  The European Qualification Tournament for the FIVB U17 World Championships Mexico 2014 for both genders is scheduled for June 6 through 8 at Marginal Beach, the same venue which recently hosted the first U17 National Club Championship.

15 women’s and 13 men’s teams will take part in the sand battles in Matosinhos.  The main draw tournament of each gender will be played through a preliminary round of four round-robin pools of either four or three teams each, and a final phase.  The top three teams from each pool will be advancing to the final phase that will be played in a single elimination format with only the pool winners qualifying directly to the second elimination round, which will determine the semifinalists in the tournament.  The competition will continue with classification matches to determine the full final standings from first to last place.

56 athletes from 15 different countries are certain to become ambassadors of this northern coastal city in Portugal.  In Matosinhos, the young prospects will battle for Europe’s spots at the inaugural U17 World Championships.  Each of the six top placed teams in each gender will secure a spot for their country in the World Championship’s main draw, while the next five will earn spots in the qualification tournament in Acapulco.  They will also be looking to take advantage of this opportunity to boost their careers to the top of beach volleyball, as it happened with others in recent years.

In fact, a great example of that was the Polish team Piotr Kantor / Bartosz Losiak who, since their achievements at the 2009 CEV U18 European Championship and the 2010 FIVB U19 World Championships, both held in Portugal, have been adding success later in the U20 and U23 age group events.

All the required conditions for a memorable competition are available.  The hospitality traditions of the northern people of Portugal, their passion for the sport and the recent successful organizations of international beach volleyball events are strong points for another great time for players, coaches, staff and, of course, beach volleyball.

Click here for more information on the European Qualification Tournament for the FIVB U17 World Championships 2014.