Estonia's beach soccer team to start Euroleague season in Moldova
From July 29 to August 2, Estonia's beach soccer team will compete in the Euroleague stage in Moldova, facing Ukraine, Denmark, and Germany in the group stage.
Estonia's national beach soccer team will participate in a Euroleague stage from July 29 to August 2, held in Moldova. The team, which retained its place in Division A, will start the tournament in Chișinău on July 29 with a match against Ukraine. A day later, on July 30, they will face Denmark, and the group stage will conclude on July 31 with a game against Germany, according to the Estonian Football Association.
This year, Estonia has already met Ukraine twice – in early April, two friendly matches were held in Jõulumäe. Both games went into extra time, with Ukraine winning 3:2 and 7:4 respectively. Estonia has played Denmark every year for the past five years. Last year at the Euroleague stage in Italy, Estonia lost 4:6.
Against Germany, Estonia's last meetings were in 2024, winning both the Euroleague Superfinal (5:4 in extra time) and the World Cup qualifier (5:2). In the world ranking of men's beach soccer teams, Estonia is 38th, Ukraine 18th, Denmark 28th, and Germany 29th.
This season's main Euroleague tournament in Division A features 16 teams divided into four groups of four. Two groups have already played a stage in Spain, while the remaining two quartets will compete in Moldova. Group C consists of Moldova, Italy, Belgium, and Kazakhstan; Group D includes Ukraine, Denmark, Germany, and Estonia.
The top two teams from each group advance to the stage semifinals, with winners competing for first place and losers for third. After the main tournament, the participants for the Superfinal in September will be determined. Typically, the four best teams from each stage qualify for the Superfinal. However, Italy, as the host, can enter the Superfinal even if they finish fifth or sixth in Moldova. In that case, only the best of the two fourth-placed teams will advance.
In the Spain stage, the hosts won, followed by Portugal in second, Belarus in third, and Switzerland in fourth. The bottom two teams from each stage of the main tournament will meet in a relegation playoff at the end of the season, with the two weakest teams dropping to Division B next season. In the Spain stage, the last two places were taken by Turkey and Czech Republic.
