Euro Winners Challenge

Euro Winners Challenge
BSWW Euro Winners Challenge logo
Organiser(s)BSWW
Founded25 April 2018 (2018-04-25)
RegionEurope
Teams20
Related competitionsEuro Winners Cup
Women's Euro Winners Cup
Current champions Alfarim GD
WebsiteBSWW Euro Winners Challenge

The Euro Winners Challenge (ECC) is the qualification tournament of the Euro Winners Cup, the annual continental beach soccer club competition. It is contested by additional teams that don't meet the criteria to qualify directly to the EWC. The first edition was held in Portugal in 2018 as Nazaré Cup.[1]

History

The Beach Soccer Worldwide created the 2018 Nazaré Cup as a Preliminary tournament for the 2018 Euro Winners Cup contested by 32 club in Nazaré from 25 to 31 May with the final that ran in parallel to the EWC Round of 16.[2] In 2019 the tournament was re-branded as Euro Winners Challenge[3] while it kept to work as additional qualification tournament as the UEFA Intertoto Cup in association football and the European Rugby Continental Shield in rugby union. In 2024 the ECC changed its format and became a true secondary continental competition as a sort of beach soccer UEFA Europa League: a one week long tournament that qualify the winner to the following Euro Winners Cup[4].

Champions

Year Location No. of clubs Final Semifinalist
Winners Result Runners-up EWC Lost to Winner Lost to Runnes-up
2018[5] Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal 32 BSC Kristall 3-2 Kfar Qassem BS Final Viareggio BS Casa Benfica de Loures
2019[6] Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal 36 BSC Lokomotiv Moscow 6-1 CSKA Moscow Quarterfinal CF Chelas GD Sesimbra
2022[7] Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal 26 Rosh HaAyin 8-7[A] Napoli Patron Quarterfinal Real Münster Varzim
2023[8] Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal 15 Marseille Minots 9-5 ACD O Sótão B Quarterfinal Buarcos 2017 Nazaré 2022
2024[9] Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal 20 Leixões S.C. 4-3 GD Sesimbra 2025 EWC União Ericeirense Vila Flor
2025[10] Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal 20 GD Alfarim 4-3 Real Münster 2026 EWC Cevennes Vila Flor
A. ^ Rosh HaAyin won the penalty shootout 7–6.

Awards

Year Top goalscorer(s) Goals Matches Best player Best goalkeeper
2018 Gabriele Gori (Viareggio BS) 15 6
2019 Boris Nikonorov (L. Moscow) 9 7
2022 Takaaki (Real Münster) 12 6
2023 F. Guerra (AD Buarcos) 14 6
2024 Matheus (Leixões SC) 12 6 Pedrinho (Leixões SC) Ruben Regufe (Leixões SC)
2025[11] Léo Martins (Real Münster) 14 6 João Cabral (GD Alfarim) João Oliveira (GD Alfarim)

See also

References

  1. ^ "Euro Winners Challenge – From Beaches to Stadiums".
  2. ^ "INVITATION LETTER" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Dates confirmed for Euro Winners Cup 2019!".
  4. ^ "The main European club competitions will be played between 7 and 16 June".
  5. ^ "Euro Winners Cup 2018 – Official Draw on 9th of May".
  6. ^ "Euro Winners Challenge 2019".
  7. ^ "Euro Winners Challenge 2022".
  8. ^ "Euro Winners Challenge 2023".
  9. ^ "Euro Winners Challenge 2024".
  10. ^ "Euro Winners Challenge 2025".
  11. ^ "EURO WINNERS CHALLENGE 2025 - Individual Awards".