The 30th edition of the women’s and the 31st edition of the men’s European Beach Volleyball Championships was held in the Austrian capital Vienna from August 2-6, 2023. A total of 64 teams competed for the European Championship titles. The tournament was played over 112 matches that were carried out in a Modified-Pool-Play-format.
The 32 teams per gender were first be divided into 8 pools with 4 teams per pool. In this format, within the group, the top-seeded team plays the lowest-seeded team, while the second and third-seeded teams also face one another in the first round. The winners of these matches play for the group win and consequently for a direct entry into the Round of 16. A crucial “win or go home” match awaits the losers of the first pool match. All group runners-up and third-placed teams compete in the single-elimination-round for a spot in the Round of 16 and thus for survival in the tournament.
Important change: There was no draw after the group matches this year, as there was a pre-made grid for the knockout matches, in which the teams were seeded according to group placings. Another big change is also that there were no nation limits in the groups. Any number of teams from the same nation could end up in the same group.
After this intermediate round, the tournament continued in knockout mode up to the semifinals. The losers of the semifinals then played for third place while the winners battled for the title in the grand final.
