2023 Euro Beach Soccer League
The 2023 Euro Beach Soccer League was the 26th edition of the Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL), the annual, premier competition in European beach soccer contested between men's national teams. It was organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW).
Tournament details | |
---|---|
Host country | Italy |
Dates | 19–24 September |
Teams | 23 (from 1 confederation) |
Venue(s) | 2 (in 1 host city) |
Final positions | |
Champions | Italy (3rd title) |
Runners-up | Spain |
Third place | Belarus |
Fourth place | Portugal |
Tournament statistics | |
Matches played | 62 |
Goals scored | 520 (8.39 per match) |
This season, the competing teams continued to take part in two divisions: the top tier (Division A) and the bottom tier (Division B). As planned last season, Division A was expanded from 12 to 16 teams this year (including one suspended member[a]). Division B accommodated eight nations: those who did not gain promotion from last season and teams returning after an absence from competing in recent years.
Originally, regular season fixtures were scheduled for July in the midst of a busy European calendar (including the European Games in June and World Beach Games in August).[1][2] However, the UEFA qualifiers for the 2023 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup were ultimately realised during these dates in July instead; the EBSL regular season was not rescheduled. Hence, this season, all teams entered straight into their division's respective post-season events; for Division A teams, the Superfinal, to compete to become the winners of the EBSL, and for Division B teams, the Promotion Final, to try to earn a spot in Division A in 2024. Both events took place in Alghero, Italy.[3]
Azerbaijan and Greece finished as the bottom two teams in Division A and were therefore relegated to Division B for 2024, the former ending a seven-year run in the top tier, and the latter demoted immediately back to the second tier after being promoted last season. In Division B, Lithuania and the Czech Republic gained promotion; the former earnt the right to play in Division A for the first time, and the latter the first time since 2007.
Switzerland were the defending champions but lost in the quarter-finals, finishing in fifth place, only the third time the defending champions have failed to finish among the top four. The title was won by Italy, who won their third title (others 2005 and 2018) by defeating Spain in the final, condemning the latter to their third runners-up finish since their last title in 2006. Portugal finished outside the podium places for only the second time in the history of the competition, whilst Romania finished sixth, their best performance since 2012.
Division A
Teams
Of the 16 nations who earnt Division A status at the end of last season, 13 entered into this season's top tier; of the outstanding three nations, one was suspended whilst two withdrew and were replaced, resulting in a total of 15 participating teams as follows:
(The numbers in parentheses show the European ranking of each team prior to the start of the season, out of 34 nations).[4]
|
Notes:
- ^ a: In accordance with sanctions imposed by FIFA and UEFA in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian national team is currently suspended from participating in the competition.[5][6]
- ^ b: Ukraine withdrew; the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine refused to sanction the Ukrainian national team's participation in the tournament in protest at the Belarus national team being allowed to compete, whom it believes should be barred from entering due the country's role in the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[7][8][9] They were replaced by Denmark,[10] the next highest placed team from last season's Division B final standings who did not finish high enough to gain promotion (seventh place; Latvia finished sixth but have not entered the competition this season), thereby awarding them with promotion to Division A post factum in the capacity of a lucky loser.[11]
- ^ c: Kazakhstan withdrew; they were replaced by Romania,[10] the next highest placed team from last season's Division B final standings who did not finish high enough to gain promotion (fifth place), thereby awarding them with promotion to Division A post factum in the capacity of a lucky loser.
- ^ P: Promoted from Division B at the end of the 2022 season.
Superfinal
Matches are listed as local time in Alghero, CEST (UTC+2) and are those scheduled; actual kick-off times may differ somewhat.
Group stage
Key: Advance to – | Quarterfinals / | 9th–11th place play-offs / | Relegation play-offs / | (H) Hosts |
Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Italy (H) | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 6 | +11 | 9 |
2 | Belarus | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 7 | +11 | 6 |
3 | Moldova | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 20 | –12 | 3 |
4 | Greece | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 17 | –10 | 0 |
19 September 2023 | Belarus | 9–1 | Moldova | Main pitch |
12:45 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Łukasz Ostrowski (Poland) |
19 September 2023 | Greece | 2–5 | Italy | Main pitch |
18:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Malte Gerhardt (Germany) |
20 September 2023 | Belarus | 7–2 | Greece | Main pitch |
11:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Dario Minder (Switzerland) |
20 September 2023 | Italy | 8–2 | Moldova | Main pitch |
18:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Sergio Gomes (Portugal) |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Switzerland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 17 | +3 | 6 |
2 | Romania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 13 | –2 | 6 |
3 | Turkey | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 13 | +2 | 3 |
4 | Azerbaijan | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 17 | –3 | 1 |
19 September 2023 | Azerbaijan | 5–5 (a.e.t.) (3–1 p) | Turkey | Main pitch |
10:15 | Sabir 2', 32' Nazarov 10', 36' Orkhan 25' |
Report | Volkan 22', 29', 30' Cem 23', 34' |
Referee: Sergio Gomes (Portugal) |
Penalties | ||||
Akhundov Nazarov Zeynalli Sabir |
Yasin Cem Volkan Semih |
19 September 2023 | Romania | 3–8 | Switzerland | Main pitch |
15:30 | Neag 3' Daniel 11' Măci 29' |
Report | Ott 1', 9', 10', 17' Hodel 4', 12', 20' Eliott 18' |
Referee: Raffaele Delvecchio (Italy) |
20 September 2023 | Azerbaijan | 2–4 | Romania | Main pitch |
10:15 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Vladimir Tashkov (Bulgaria) |
20 September 2023 | Switzerland | 4–7 | Turkey | Main pitch |
14:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Vitalij Gomolko (Lithuania) |
21 September 2023 | Switzerland | 8–7 | Azerbaijan | Main pitch |
14:00 | Report |
|
Referee: Wilson Castanheira (Portugal) |
Group C
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Portugal | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 11 | +11 | 8 |
2 | Denmark | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 15 | –6 | 2 |
3 | Estonia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 13 | 0 | 2 |
4 | France | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 13 | –5 | 0 |
19 September 2023 | France | 4–5 (a.e.t.) | Estonia | Main pitch |
11:30 |
|
Report | Referee: Saverio Bottalico (Italy) |
19 September 2023 | Denmark | 4–10 | Portugal | Main pitch |
16:45 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Francisco de Oses (Spain) |
20 September 2023 | Portugal | 6–5 (a.e.t.) | Estonia | Main pitch |
15:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Moreno Longo (Italy) |
20 September 2023 | France | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (3–5 p) | Denmark | Pitch 2 |
18:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Mehdi Sayoud (Belgium) |
21 September 2023 | Estonia | 3–3 (a.e.t.) (4–5 p) | Denmark | Main pitch |
10:15 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Saverio Bottalico (Italy) |
21 September 2023 | Portugal | 6–2 | France | Main pitch |
15:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Dario Minder (Switzerland) |
Group D
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Spain | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 4 | +7 | 6 |
2 | Germany | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 9 | –4 | 3 |
3 | Poland | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 9 | –3 | 0 |
19 September 2023 | Spain | 6–1 | Germany | Main pitch |
14:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Csaba Baghy (Hungary) |
20 September 2023 | Poland | 3–4 | Germany | Pitch 2 |
15:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Luca Romani (Italy) |
Relegation play-offs (12th–15th place)
The teams finishing the group stage in fourth place, plus the worst performing third-placed team, retreat to the relegation play-offs, contested in a round-robin format.
The bottom two teams are be relegated to Division B for the 2024 season.[13]
Key: Outcome – | Relegated to 2024 Division B |
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | France | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 6 |
2 | Moldova | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 8 | +1 | 4 |
3 | Azerbaijan | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 16 | –3 | 3 |
4 | Greece | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 11 | –4 | 1 |
22 September 2023 | Greece | 2–2 (a.e.t.) (5–4 p) | Moldova | Pitch 2 |
15:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Moreno Longo (Italy) |
Penalties | ||||
|
|
22 September 2023 | Azerbaijan | 3–9 | France | Pitch 2 |
18:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: José Pardeiro (Spain) |
23 September 2023 | Azerbaijan | 6–3 | Greece | Pitch 2 |
15:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Raffaele Delvecchio (Italy) |
23 September 2023 | Moldova | 3–2 | France | Pitch 2 |
16:45 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: José Pardeiro (Spain) |
24 September 2023 | France | 3–2 | Greece | Main pitch |
09:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Vladimir Tashkov (Bulgaria) |
24 September 2023 | Moldova | 4–4 (4–1 p) | Azerbaijan | Main pitch |
10:15 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Łukasz Ostrowski (Poland) |
9th–11th place
The three best third-placed teams from the group stage contest 9th through 11th place in a round-robin format.[13]
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Poland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 6 |
2 | Estonia | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 11 | –2 | 3 |
3 | Turkey | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 8 | –2 | 0 |
22 September 2023 | Turkey | 1–2 | Poland | Main pitch |
10:15 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Arpad Jakab (Hungary) |
23 September 2023 | Estonia | 3–6 | Poland | Pitch 2 |
14:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Luca Romani (Italy) |
1st–8th place
The winners and runners-up of the group stage progress to the knockout stage, a series of single elimination games to determine 1st through 8th place, starting with the quarter-finals and ending with the final. Per the outcomes of each round, the losers retreat to classification matches to determine their final ranking.[13]
Fifth place match | 5th–8th place semifinals | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Final | ||||||||||||||
22 September | ||||||||||||||||||
Switzerland | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
23 September | Belarus | 4 | 23 September | |||||||||||||||
Switzerland | 7 | Belarus | 2 | |||||||||||||||
Denmark | 5 | 22 September | Spain | 4 | ||||||||||||||
Spain | 9 | |||||||||||||||||
24 September | Denmark | 5 | 24 September | |||||||||||||||
Switzerland | 8 | Spain | 4 | |||||||||||||||
Romania | 6 | 22 September | Italy | 5 | ||||||||||||||
Italy | 8 | |||||||||||||||||
23 September | Romania | 2 | 23 September | |||||||||||||||
Seventh place match | Romania | 4 | Italy | 2 | Third place match | |||||||||||||
24 September | Germany | 2 | 22 September | Portugal | 1 | 24 September | ||||||||||||
Denmark | 5 | Portugal | 8 | Belarus | 6 | |||||||||||||
Germany | 6 | Germany | 2 | Portugal | 5 | |||||||||||||
Quarter-finals
Spain | 9–5 | Denmark |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Switzerland | 3–4 | Belarus |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Portugal | 8–2 | Germany |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
5th–8th place
Switzerland | 7–5 | Denmark |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
1st–4th place
Belarus | 2–4 | Spain |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Italy | 2–1 | Portugal |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
7th place play-off
5th place play-off
3rd place play-off
Portugal | 5–6 | Belarus |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Final
Winners trophy
2023 Euro Beach Soccer League champions |
---|
Italy Third title |
Individual awards
Top scorer(s) | |
---|---|
Noël Ott | |
15 goals | |
Best player | |
Marco Giordani | |
Best goalkeeper | |
Leandro Casapieri |
Final standings
Pos | Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Italy | EBSL Champions (3rd title) |
2 | Spain | Runners-up |
3 | Belarus | Third place |
4 | Portugal | |
5 | Switzerland | |
6 | Romania | |
7 | Germany | |
8 | Denmark | |
9 | Poland | |
10 | Estonia | |
11 | Turkey | |
12 | France | |
13 | Moldova | |
14 | Azerbaijan | Relegated to 2024 Division B |
15 | Greece |
Top scorers
The following table lists the top 10 scorers in Division A.
Rank | Player | Goals |
---|---|---|
1 | Noël Ott | 15 |
2 | Marian Măciucă | 13 |
3 | Glenn Hodel | 11 |
4 | Miguel Pintado | 10 |
5 | Marco Giordani | 9 |
Axel Damm | ||
7 | Bê Martins | 7 |
Dimitrios Mikelatos | ||
9 | José Oliver | 6 |
Volkan Yeşilırmak | ||
Orkhan Mammadov | ||
Gharbi Aness | ||
Jérémy Bru |
Division B
Teams
The following eight teams entered into Division B this season.[14] Czech Republic, Sweden and Slovakia return after a one-season absence. No teams make their debut for the first time since 2015.
(The numbers in parentheses show the European ranking of each team prior to the start of the season, out of 34 nations).[4]
Promotion Final
Matches are listed as local time in Alghero, CEST (UTC+2) and are those scheduled; actual kick-off times may differ somewhat.
The top two teams earn promotion to Division A for the 2024 season.[14]
Draw
No draw took place to allocate the teams into their respective groups. Instead, the teams were split based on the results of last season's Promotion Final standings.[14]
Group stage
Key: Advance to – | Semifinals / | 5th–8th place play-offs |
Group A
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lithuania | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 13 | 7 | +6 | 7 |
2 | Czech Republic | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 8 | +9 | 6 |
3 | England | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 12 | +1 | 3 |
4 | Slovakia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 21 | –16 | 0 |
20 September 2023 | Slovakia | 3–8 | England | Main pitch |
09:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Raffaele Delvecchio (Italy) |
20 September 2023 | Lithuania | 4–4 (a.e.t.) (3–1 p) | Czech Republic | Pitch 2 |
11:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Wilson Castanheira (Portugal) |
Penalties | ||||
|
|
21 September 2023 | Lithuania | 5–1 | Slovakia | Pitch 2 |
12:45 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Csaba Baghy (Hungary) |
21 September 2023 | England | 3–5 | Czech Republic | Pitch 2 |
14:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: José Pardeiro (Spain) |
22 September 2023 | England | 2–4 | Lithuania | Main pitch |
09:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Angelika Gębka (Poland) |
22 September 2023 | Czech Republic | 8–1 | Slovakia | Pitch 2 |
11:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Fiammetta Susanna (Italy) |
Group B
Pos | Team | Pld | W | W+ | WP | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Norway | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 10 | +8 | 9 |
2 | Georgia | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 6 |
3 | Sweden | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 13 | –2 | 3 |
4 | Malta | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 20 | –14 | 0 |
20 September 2023 | Georgia | 7–1 | Malta | Pitch 2 |
12:45 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Patricia Gomez (Spain) |
20 September 2023 | Sweden | 3–5 | Norway | Pitch 2 |
14:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Mehdi Sayoud (Belgium) |
21 September 2023 | Norway | 8–4 | Malta | Main pitch |
09:00 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Renata Jakab (Hungary) |
21 September 2023 | Georgia | 7–3 | Sweden | Pitch 2 |
11:30 |
|
Report |
|
Referee: Moreno Longo (Italy) |
5th–8th place
5th–8th place semifinals | Fifth place match | |||||
23 September | ||||||
England | 11 | |||||
24 September | ||||||
Malta | 0 | |||||
England | 4 | |||||
23 September | ||||||
Slovakia | 1 | |||||
Sweden | 3 | |||||
Slovakia | 4 | |||||
Seventh place match | ||||||
24 September | ||||||
Malta | 3 | |||||
Sweden | 5 |
Semi-finals
England | 11–0 | Malta |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
7th place match
5th place match
1st–4th place
Semifinals | Final | |||||
23 September | ||||||
Norway | 4 | |||||
24 September | ||||||
Czech Republic | 6 | |||||
Czech Republic | 2 | |||||
23 September | ||||||
Lithuania | 3 | |||||
Lithuania | 5 | |||||
Georgia | 2 | |||||
Third place match | ||||||
24 September | ||||||
Norway | 2 | |||||
Georgia | 3 |
Semi-finals
Norway | 4–6 | Czech Republic |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
3rd place match
Final
Lithuania | 3–2 | Czech Republic |
---|---|---|
|
Report |
|
Awards
Winners trophy | Top scorer(s) | Best player | Best goalkeeper | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lithuania | Henrik Salveson Aaron Clarke | 9 goals | Paulius Giedraitis | Jan Bártl |
Final standings
Pos | Team | Result |
---|---|---|
1 | Lithuania | Promoted to 2024 EBSL Division A |
2 | Czech Republic | |
3 | Georgia | Remain in Division B |
4 | Norway | |
5 | England | |
6 | Slovakia | |
7 | Sweden | |
8 | Malta |
Top scorers
The following table lists the top 10 scorers in Division B.
Rank | Player | Goals |
---|---|---|
1 | Henrik Salveson | 9 |
Aaron Clarke | ||
3 | Lukáš Trampota | 8 |
4 | Paulius Giedraitis | 6 |
Mantas Makutunovičius | ||
Giorgi Diakvnishvili | ||
Reanu Grossett | ||
8 | David Jalagania | 5 |
Niklas Johagen | ||
Audrius Plytnikas |
References
- "2023 England Beach Soccer Calendar". England Beach Soccer Association. 9 May 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Reprezentační Akce V Roce 2023: Kvalifikace Ms, Ebsl a Další" [Representative events in 2023: qualification for the World Cup, EBSL and others]. Beach Soccer Czech. 10 January 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Euro Beach Soccer League to be played in Alghero". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Rankings - Men's National Teams". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Decision of the UEFA Executive Committee related to Russia" (PDF). UEFA.com (Press release). Union of European Football Associations. 28 February 2022. p. 2. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- "Measures taken by BSWW after the attacks on Ukraine". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
- Слесь, Данило (31 August 2023). "Збірна України з пляжного футболу знялася з Євроліги-2023 через участь Білорусі" [The Ukrainian Beach Soccer Team Withdrew From the Euroleague 2023 Due to the Participation of Belarus]. Dzerkalo Tyzhnia (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- Deulin, Ilya (31 August 2023). "Збірна України не зіграє у Євролізі-2023: деталі різкого рішення Асоціації пляжного футболу" [The national team of Ukraine will not play in the Euroleague-2023: details of the drastic decision of the Beach Soccer Association]. Sport-Express.ua (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Бойкот через участь білорусі. Збірна України відмовилася грати у Євролізі" [Boycott due to the participation of Belarus. The national team of Ukraine refused to play in the Euroleague]. Sport.ua (in Ukrainian). 31 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Official Draw - Euro Beach Soccer League 2023 - Superfinal - Alghero". beachsoccertv.com. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "En Drøm Er Gået I Opfyldelse". Beach Soccer Landsholdet (via Facebook) (in Danish). 29 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Euro Beach Soccer League 2023 groups announced". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 30 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
- "Уже на следующей неделе состоится учебно-тренировочный сбор..." Beach Soccer Belarus (via VK.com) (in Russian). 7 September 2023. Retrieved 9 September 2023.
- "Ebsl V Algheru Zná Složení Skupin! S Kým Se Utkají České Reprezentace?" [EBSL in Alghero knows the composition of the groups! Who will the Czech national team play?]. Beach Soccer Czech (in Czech). 30 August 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
External links
- Beach Soccer Worldwide, official website