The 2018 Euro Winners Cup was the sixth edition of the Euro Winners Cup (EWC), an annual continental beach soccer tournament for men's top-division European clubs. The championship is the sport's version of the better known UEFA Champions League in association football.[1]
Organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW), the tournament was held in Nazaré, Portugal, from 25 May till 3 June 2018, consisting of a preliminary qualifying round and the competition proper.[2]
Following the qualifying round, the competition proper began with a round-robin group stage. At its conclusion, the best teams progressed to the knockout stage, a series of single-elimination games to determine the winners, starting with the round of 16 and ending with the final. Consolation matches were also played to determine other final rankings.
Braga of Portugal were the defending champions[3] and successfully defended their title after beating Kristall of Russia on penalties in the final.[4]
A record 58 teams entered the championship; 26 qualified straight into the main round,[5] whilst 32 competed in the Nazaré Cup / preliminary round to attempt to qualify for the competition proper.[6]
26 different nations were represented.
Qualification
As per BSWW regulations, qualification for the 2018 EWC is achieved as follows:[7]
- The reigning champions qualify automatically into the main round (Braga of Portugal).
- The winners of all European national beach soccer leagues/championships are entitled to automatic qualification into the main round (but no league champion from Portugal qualified as this was Braga who had already qualified as current EWC champions).
- The host club qualifies automatically to the main round (ACD Sótão), along with the winners and runners-up of its country's national league. (As a Portuguese club, the winners of its country's league was Braga who had already qualified. Therefore, this spot was rewarded to the team that finished third in the FPF Campeonato Nacional.)
- Any other club who did not win their respective national league can enter the Nazaré Cup / preliminary round for a last attempt to qualify for the main round.
Entrants
For context, in February 2018, BSWW deemed the top four leagues in Europe to be (in no particular order) the Portuguese, Russian, Italian and Spanish leagues.[8]
Key: H: Hosts \ TH: Title holders
Praia de Nazaré (Nazaré Beach) is the host location of the competition for the second year running. |
 Location of Nazaré in Portugal. |
Two venues were used in one host city: Nazaré and Leiria District.[9] Matches took place at Praia de Nazaré (Nazaré Beach) on one of two pitches. The main pitch, otherwise known as the Estádio do Viveiro (Viveiro Stadium), with a capacity of 1,600,[10] hosted 79 matches, including all main bracket ties in the knockout stage. Pitch 2, a purpose made pitch, located adjacent to the main stadium, hosted 48 matches.
Each club must submit a squad of a maximum of 12 players that includes a minimum of two goalkeepers. Players are to be assigned shirt numbers between 1 and 22 (the number 1 must be reserved for a goalkeeper). Three delegates must accompany the players, including at least one medical personnel. A maximum of three foreign players are allowed to be part of the squad.[7] This was later increased to four, however a maximum of three of these players are permitted to play in a match.[11]
The draws took place on May 9 at 12:00 local time in Nazaré, at the Biblioteca Municipal de Nazaré (Nazaré Public Library),[12] conducted by the Mayor of Nazaré, Walter Chicharro, PFP Director Pedro Dias, BSWW Deputy Vice-President, Gabino Renales and BSWW Head of Competitions, Josep Ponset.[13]
Nazaré Cup (preliminary round)
The BSWW organising committee decided to split the 32 teams into eight groups of four, conducting the draw as follows:[14]
| Draw procedure |
- The clubs were seeded. Initially, from every country represented, each club that finished highest in its country's national league were grouped together and ordered based upon the final ranking of the club that represented their national association in the previous edition of the championship.
- The top eight clubs in this order received the top eight seeds and were automatically assigned to the groups, with the 1st seed placed in position A1 through to the 8th seed allocated to H1.
- Out of the remaining 24 clubs, again, from each country still represented, each club that finished highest in its country's national league were grouped together and ordered based upon the 2017 final ranking once more. These clubs in this order received the next top seeds available.
- For the countries still represented by one or more clubs, this process repeated until every club was seeded.
- The 24 teams were split into three pots, with the highest seeds placed into pot 1 down to the lowest seeds placed in pot 3.
- Each pot consisted of eight teams.
- One team from each pot was drawn into each of the groups, A through H, chronologically. The teams from pot 1 were assigned to position 2, those from pot 2, assigned to position 3 and those from pot 3, position 4.
- Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group, except for Portuguese clubs due to the volume of teams from said country.
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Main round
The BSWW organising committee decided to split the 34 teams into seven groups of four and two groups of three. Two of the groups of four involve the eight qualifiers from the preliminary round. This meant the draw concerned determining just five of the seven groups of four, conducted as follows:[15]
| Draw procedure |
- The clubs were seeded. ACD Sótão, as the club of the host city, were given the number 1 seed and assigned to position A1. Braga, as defending champions, were seeded 2nd and assigned to B1.
- The other clubs were then seeded based upon the final ranking of the club that represented their national association in the previous edition of the championship. (With two Portuguese clubs concerned, GR Amigos Paz were not seeded at this stage as they finished the lower of the two in their national league)
- The next top five seeded clubs were automatically assigned to the groups, with the 3rd seed placed in position C1 through to the 7th seed allocated to G1.
- GR Amigos Paz were then added into the ranking with the remaining teams who were then split into three pots, with the highest seeds placed into pot 1 down to the lowest seeds placed in pot 3 (along with four non-seeded teams as there was no representative club of their association in the last edition to calculate a seed from).
- Pot 1 & 2 consisted of seven teams, whilst pot 3 contained just five teams.
- From pots 1 and 2, one team from each was drawn into each of the groups, A through G. The teams from pot 1 were assigned to position 2 in that group and those from pot 2, assigned to position 3.
- From pot 3, the teams were drawn along with another ball from an additional pot, pot 4. The seven balls in this fourth pot were marked with the group positions A4 through G4. The position drawn from pot 4, the club drawn from pot 3 was allocated to.
- As there were just five pot 3 teams but seven position marked balls, this meant two group positions would not be picked from pot 4, therefore determining which two groups would consist of just three clubs and ensuring this was determined at random.
- Teams from the same association could not be drawn into the same group.
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Quick Facts Further information, Tournament details ...
Nazaré Cup Logo, often accompanied with the main 2018 EWC logo.
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| Further information |
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| Host country | Portugal |
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| Dates | 25–31 May 2018 |
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| Teams | 32 (from 1 confederation) |
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| Venue(s) | 2 (in 1 host city) |
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| Champions |  Kristall |
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| Runners-up |  Falfala Kfar Qassem |
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| Matches played | 69 |
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| Goals scored | 515 (7.46 per match) |
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| Top scorer(s) |  Gabriele Gori
(15 goals)
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Close
The preliminary round is open to all clubs who did not automatically qualify for the main round as domestic league champions.
Overview
Decision to make changes
The preliminary round has undergone considerable changes. In last season's EWC, five of the eight quarter-finalists and three of the four semifinalists qualified via this route; just three teams in the quarter-finals and one team in the semi-finals was an automatic qualifier / national league champion.[16]
To protect the competition's original purpose as a championship primarily for Europe's league champions, BSWW made changes ensuring that this year only two quarter-finalists and subsequently one semifinalist would be non-champion qualifiers from the preliminary round. Three semifinalists were guaranteed to be a national league champion.[16][7]
This was later revised so that only one team in the quarter-finals would be a qualifier, whilst the other seven would be guaranteed to be a league champion. A qualifier was no longer ensured of a semifinal spot.[17]
This season, embedded within the wider scope of this edition of the Euro Winners Cup, an additional tournament will be taking place. It has been described as a "tournament within a tournament".[16] This supplementary event is known as the Nazaré Beach Soccer Cup (NBSC):-
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The preliminary round of this year's EWC forms the first stage of the NBSC, taking place from 25–27 May:- [2][7]
- The NBSC is open to all teams who did not automatically qualify for the Main Round.
- The teams that enter will be split into groups of four, competing in a round robin format.
- The eight group winners qualify for the Main Round of the EWC.
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In the Main Round, the NBSC will continue:- [7]
- The eight qualifiers will be kept together in two groups of four.
- Four clubs, the two top teams from each group, were originally to planned progress to the Round of 16 of the EWC. This was later reduced to just two clubs, the two group winners.[17]
- The two teams will play each other in the Round of 16. This match will therefore also count as the final of the NBSC.
- The winner of the NBSC will then be crowned, rewarded with a spot in the EWC quarter-finals.
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Group A
Playas de Mazarrón  v  Olimpia-Stels
GDP Costa da Caparica  v Nacional
Playas de Mazarrón v GDP Costa da Caparica
Nacional v Olimpia-Stels
Olimpia-Stels v GDP Costa da Caparica
Nacional v Playas de Mazarrón
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Group B
Delta Saratov  v AIS Playas de San Javier
Delta Saratov v BIR
AIS Playas de San Javier v BIR
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Group C
Academy  v Varzim
Academy v Salgueiros 08
Varzim v Salgueiros 08
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Group D
AD Buarcos v Levante
Levante v  Dunkerquois Littoral
Dunkerquois Littoral v AD Buarcos
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Group E
Wuppertaler SV  v Montpellier Hérault
Benfica Caldas da Rainha v  Catania
Wuppertaler SV v Benfica Caldas da Rainha
Catania v Montpellier Hérault
Montpellier Hérault v Benfica Caldas da Rainha
Catania v Wuppertaler SV
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Group F
Viareggio v  APS Napoli Patron
GR Olival Basto v  BSMA
Viareggio v GR Olival Basto
BSMA v APS Napoli Patron
APS Napoli Patron v GR Olival Basto
BSMA v Viareggio
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Group G
Portsmouth  v Leixões
São Domingos v  Boca Gdańsk
Portsmouth v São Domingos
Boca Gdańsk v Leixões
Leixões v São Domingos
Boca Gdańsk v Portsmouth
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Group H
Casa Benfica de Loures v Atletico Licata
Chelas v  Siófoki Bányász SE
Casa Benfica de Loures v Chelas
Siófoki Bányász SE v Atletico Licata
Atletico Licata v Chelas
Siófoki Bányász SE v Casa Benfica de Loures
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Subsequent rounds
Second group stage
The eight qualifiers progressed to the second group stage that took place as part of the main round of the EWC.
Final
The best two teams of the second group stage advanced to the final that took place as part of the round of 16 of the EWC.
From Groups A–G of the Main Round, all seven groups winners and seven runners-up (originally, only five from seven runners-up) advance to the knockout stage (total of 14 clubs).[17]
Originally, from Groups H and I (Nazaré Cup qualifiers groups), the winners and runners-up from both groups were to advance to the knockout stage (a total of four clubs).[16] However the format was later revised; only the winners of each group (two clubs) now advance to play in the knockout stage.[17] These two clubs remain separate from the other 14 in the Round of 16 draw.
In the knockout stage, the clubs compete in single-elimination matches. Consolation matches are also played to determine the final rankings involving the clubs knocked out of each round of the knockout stage.
- The Round of 16 draw was conducted on 30 May following the conclusion of the day's matches. The two qualifiers from the Nazaré Cup groups were automatically drawn against each other and allocated to the bottom of the bracket. The other 14 clubs were placed into two pots of seven. The group winners were placed in Pot 1 and the runners-up were placed in Pot 2.[21]
- For each Round of 16 tie, a group winner from Pot 1 was drawn to play against a runner-up from Pot 2. However, clubs from the same group could not be drawn against each other. As each tie was drawn, they were allocated chronologically from top to bottom in the bracket below. The draw was conducted by the Mayor of Nazaré, Walter Chicharro and Anastasia Osinovskaya of WFC Zvezda.[21]
Losers brackets |
Round of 16 losers bracket |
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Round of 16
More information BATE Borisov, 2–3 ...
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Quarter-finals
9th–16th place
More information BATE Borisov, 6–7 ...
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1st–8th place
More information Dinamo Batumi, 5–9 ...
Close
Semi-finals
13th–16th place
More information BATE Borisov, 3–5 (a.e.t.) ...
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9th–12th place
More information West Deva, 4–0 ...
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5th–8th place
More information Dinamo Batumi, 2–7 ...
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1st–4th place
More information KP Łódź, 2–3 ...
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Finals
15th place match
More information BATE Borisov, 8–5 ...
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13th place match
More information Vybor, 10–5 ...
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11th place match
More information Spartak Varna, 2–5 ...
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9th place match
More information Melistar Melilla, 10–0 w/o ...
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7th place match
More information Dinamo Batumi, 1–6 ...
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5th place match
More information Alanya Belediyespor, 4–7 ...
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3rd place match
More information KP Łódź, 4–3 ...
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Championship final
More information Kristall, 3–3 (a.e.t.) ...
Close
The following individual awards were presented after the final.[23]
More information Top scorer(s), Best player ...
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1. Goals scored during the preliminary round were not counted for this award.[24]
More information Rank, Team ...
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West Deva had booked a return flight home to Romania which was due to take off before the scheduled match time (11:30), meaning the team was unable to attend the fixture. This meant they forfeited the match, awarding Melistar Mellila with a walkover."West Deva a terminat în primele zece la Euro Winners Cup 2018" (in Romanian). glasul-hd.ro. 3 June 2018. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
Braga (2nd title)
Kristall
KP Łódź
Egmond
Nõmme
Oslo
Vybor
Rostocker Robben
West Deva
Vamos Braine le Château
SK BO EU Teplice
Dinamo Batumi
Kreiss
Djoker Chisinau
Alanya Belediyespor
Marseille
Igol Vilnius
Sambenedettese
BATE Borisov
AO Kefallinia
Copenhagen
Melistar Melilla
Spartak Varna
Siófoki Bányász SE
Portsmouth
Falfala Kfar Qassem.jpg)
Casa Benfica de Loures
Sporting CP
ACD Sótão
GR Amigos da Paz
B; 
E; 
F; 
G; 
H; 
Falfala Kfar Qassem)
Mauricinho (
Kristall)
Braga)
Bate Borisov)
Viareggio)
Alanya Belediyespor)
Melistar Melilla)
Carlos Carballo (
Noel Ott (
Vybor)
Spartak Varna)
West Deva)
Ozu Moreira (
Boca Gdańsk)
Egmond)
Nõmme)
Kreiss)
Dynamo Batumi)
Marseille)
Portsmouth)
APS Napoli Patron)
