Euro Beach Soccer League
The Euro Beach Soccer League is the premier competition in beach soccer contested between European men's national teams. Originally called the European Pro Beach Soccer League until 2004, the competition has been held annually since its establishment in 1998, making it not only the oldest beach soccer tournament in Europe but one of the oldest still in existence in the world, only surpassed in longevity by the World Cup and Mundialito events. The EBSL was originally created to promote the newly founded sport in Europe in a competitive environment.
Organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide, the teams of the league compete in two divisions; A, consisting of the league's 12 best nations and B, consisting of the other teams competing that year. A system of promotion and relegation exists between the two divisions.
The league is played in two phases; a regular season and a post-season. Teams play in stages of fixtures during the regular season, hoping to earn enough points for their division's league table to qualify for their respective post-season events; for Division A, the Superfinal, in which league title is then directly contested, and for Division B, the Promotion Final, in which promotion to A is then directly contested.
The competition takes place between May and September. The league's rounds of matches are staged in a series of locations across Europe in which multiple nations gather to play, having spread as west as Dublin, Ireland and as east as Baku, Azerbaijan. Matches take place every few weeks over the course of a weekend, including Fridays. At most, Division A teams play 10 games a season and Division B nations, 7 games.
35 nations of Europe have competed since the initial 1998 season. Only four have featured in every season – France, Spain, Italy and Portugal. The most successful nation is Portugal with six titles, followed closely by Spain and Russia with 5 titles each. Italy have two titles, whilst Germany, France, Switzerland and Ukraine have one title each.
History
Foundation
After beach soccer's inception in 1992, the sport grew quickly. By 1996, the Pro Beach Soccer Tour had been created – a series of exhibition events across the Americas, Asia and in Europe, totalling in 60 games by the end of 1997, promoting the sport on a global level. In Europe, the interest generated was particularly prevalent. Beach Soccer Company, the organisers of the PBST, perceived that the media, sponsors and fans in Europe desired a multi-event, summer-long competition with consistent national teams and star players to follow and support in a competitive environment. Consequently, BSC proceeded to launch the first European Pro Beach Soccer League season in 1998, moulded and structured in the aforementioned vision of fans and media alike.Early years (1998–2000)
In the inaugural season of 1998, seven countries took part, mostly from Western and Southern Europe – France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Yugoslavia, Switzerland and Portugal. The league events toured across Europe, with multiple countries hosting rounds of fixtures called stages, concluding in Monte Carlo, which saw Germany crowned champions – their only title to date. During this time, Prince Albert of Monaco became Honorary President of the EPBSL and Monte Carlo was chosen to host the final stage each year including a gala event. Spain went on to win the 1999 and 2000 editions which saw Austria and the Netherlands debut.Much of the success of the league's early years was due to the recognisable association footballers who made the transition to the sand attracting fans to attend and watch matches on TV such as Eric Cantona, Michel, Claudio Gentile, Uli Stielike, Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, Emilio Butragueño and Andreas Brehme to name a few. Meanwhile, dedicated beach soccer players, without the footballing background of these players also made a name for themselves, most notably the young duo of Spain's Amarelle and Portugal's Madjer.
Introduction of the Superfinal and a multi-division league (2001–2005)
In 2001, Beach Soccer Worldwide, became the EPBSL's new organisers, succeeding BSC. Subsequently, the league underwent significant changes. BSWW split the league into two phases – the existing regular season and a new post-season phase called the Superfinal in which the league champions would be determined instead of via the final regular season league table. Furthermore, in 2002, BSWW divided the nations of the league into two divisions, with a third division created in 2004.Despite the new format, the Iberian nations were not deterred and their dominance continued initially. Spain claimed their third straight title in 2001 whilst two-time runners-up Portugal finally claimed their first title in 2002. Spanish superiority continued as they won their fourth crown in 2003. However, 2004 finally saw France become league champions for the first time and Italy also claimed their first title in 2005. Nations such as England, Norway and Belgium joined in 2001–03, showing expansion in participation further north but failed to make an impact against the superior, established Southern European quartet of France, Italy, Portugal and Spain. Meanwhile, in 2004–05, the likes of Poland, Hungary, Ukraine and Russia joined, highlighting how interest in the EBSL was also fast spreading Eastward.
In 2004, BSWW renamed the competition to the shortened Euro Beach Soccer League. Commercially, the league enjoyed some of its greatest success at this time; BSWW secured "vastly expanded television coverage" of the EBSL from such networks as Sky Sports, RAI, SIC and NRK and "unprecedented demand from promoters" to host league events. Meanwhile, major sponsorship deals were struck with McDonald's, Coca-Cola and MasterCard, the latter becoming lead sponsors in 2004.
Third era (2006, 2007)
The EBSL once again underwent significant changes in 2006, entering its third distinct format era. In summary, the new format had Division B start and complete their regular season first, early in the summer. The top teams then qualified to play in Division A, to compete alongside the top tier's automatic entrants, which began its regular season later in the summer. The top teams at the end of the Division A regular season then proceeded to the Superfinal to contest the league title as usual.Having switched from Monte Carlo to Marsielle in 2005, BSWW made the French city the Superfinal's permanent new home for 2006 and 2007. Its impressive hosting was key in FIFA's decision to award the city as hosts of the 2008 World Cup. The EBSL continued to double as the World Cup qualification route for European nations into the FIFA era.
These years saw the Iberian nations return to the summit; Spain won their fifth title in 2006 and Portugal their second in 2007, narrowly denying France their own second crown by a single goal in the final. However the latter year saw the birth of a new European power, that of Russia who finished top of the Division A regular season table in just their first season in the top tier, ultimately finishing third in the Superfinal. This era saw the rise of the likes of Switzerland and Poland, establishing themselves as regular participants of the top tier.
Current era – promotion and relegation (2009–present)
The 2008 EBSL season was greatly affected by the scheduling of the World Cup which shortened the league's calendar. Because of the time constraints, the 2006-07 format could not be implemented. Instead, all the teams of the league competed in one unified division in what was ultimately an anomalous season in terms of its format.Heading into the 2009 season, BSWW did not return to the 2006-07 format and instead completely revamped the league's format, primarily introducing a system of promotion and relegation between Divisions A and B involving making the Superfinal a Division A only event, the establishment of a second post-season event exclusively for Division B nations, the Promotion Final, in which promotion is achieved, and reverting to having the regular seasons of the two divisions occur concurrently as in 2001-05.
During this era participation has continued to increase, breaking the 20-team barrier in 2011 and a record 27 nations competed in 2017, seeing participation expand to nations even as small as Moldova and Andorra and as far east as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, debuting and becoming league regulars. The Superfinal and regular season stages have also spread out further across Europe. The Superfinal has been staged in Estonia, Portugal and Russia, whilst regular season stages have been hosted in Serbia, Hungary and Ukraine. Russia's rise culminated with their first title in 2009; with four further titles since, Russia equalled Spain and Portugal's long standing record tally of five titles in 2017, and at least finishing in the top four every season since 2007, the Russians have cemented their position as a superpower. During this period Portugal have continued to be a dominant side, having added another three titles to their haul, earning a record sixth title in 2019, whilst Switzerland and Ukraine have claimed their maiden crowns. On the other hand, this era has seen the demise of nations like France, who saw relegation to Division B in 2010 and again 2012, meanwhile Spain have only made two finals during these ten years, despite their five previous titles.
Competition structure
Current format
In 2009, BSWW overhauled the existing league structure and introduced a new format that remains in use, featuring a system of promotion and relegation between two divisions of teams. The league currently consists of two phases – a regular season, typically taking place between June and August, and two post-season events, taking place in August or September. Minor amendments to the format were made in 2013 that focused on increasing the size of Division A and the number of teams advancing to the post-season events.Divisions A and B
The nations of the EBSL are divided between two divisions; A, the league's top tier, and B, the league's lower tier. Each season, Division A nations aim to win the EBSL title, whilst Division B nations aim to be promoted to Division A, with one promotion spot available per season.12 countries comprise Division A. These are the league's best teams. It features the top 11 finishers from the previous year's final Division A regular season league table, plus the one nation who earned promotion from Division B at end of the preceding season. Division B hosts all other participants, those with lesser ability on the sand than those in the top tier. The division features teams from the previous Division B season who were not promoted, nations returning after an absence from competing, the team relegated from Division A at the end of the previous season, and any debutants. Hence the total number of nations competing in Division B varies by season and as such is not fixed in size like Division A.
Regular season
The league begins with the regular season, consisting of multiple rounds of fixtures taking place every few weeks. Each set of matches is treated as its own event, known as a stage. Each stage of the season is hosted in a different European country. Typically, both Division A and Division B matches are organised to take place together during the same stage event. Overall, Division A nations generally take part in two stages per year and Division B nations, one stage each.In each stage, the participating teams compete in groups of four in a round robin format over the course of three days. Teams earn points for their divisions’ league table for winning matches during these stages, trying to earn enough to qualify for their respective divisions' post-season events. The team who earned the most points during the event are declared stage winners and are presented with a trophy. Individual awards are also presented for the MVP, best goalkeeper and top scorer.
SuperfinalThe post-season event for Division A teams is called the Superfinal. Of the 12 teams in Division A, the top eight ranking nations with the most points in the Division A league table at the end of the regular season proceed to the Superfinal. In this event, the participating nations directly compete for the league title. A four-day event, the eight teams are split into two groups of four, competing in a round robin format. The two group winners then proceed to the final, with the winner of this concluding match crowned champions of the EBSL.Promotion FinalThe post-season event for Division B nations is called the Promotion Final, staged in parallel with the Superfinal during same dates and in the same location. The top seven ranking nations with the most points in the Division B league table at the end of the regular season proceed to the Promotion Final. In this event, teams directly compete for the single promotion spot available. An eighth nation also takes part, the team that finished last in Division A, who compete to try and defend their Division A status.The eight teams are split into two groups of four, competing in a round robin format. The two group winners then proceed to the final to play for promotion. The Division B nation which wins this match is promoted to Division A the next season, with the team bottom of Division A relegated. However, if the defending Division A team successfully wins the Promotion Final, fending off the challenge of the Division B teams, they will retain their Division A status for the next season, denying any prospective Division B team promotion. Defunct formats
Locations of EBSL eventsPart of the original concept of the EBSL was to link the multiple promoters of beach soccer in the different countries of Europe under the umbrella of a single Europe-wide competition. This was to ensure a strong structure of development for beach soccer throughout the Old Continent through such unity. This has meant that BSWW have hosted and continue to host EBSL events right across Europe.The table below shows the countries which have hosted EBSL events, in order from the country which has hosted the most, down to the least. The specific host towns and cities in each country are also listed. Overall, in 21 seasons, there have been 131 events hosted in 68 different locations in Europe.
TeamsAs of the 2019 season, 28 teams comprise the Euro Beach Soccer League, split between two divisions: Division A consisting of 12 teams and Division B comprising 16 teams. Teams move between the divisions through a promotion and relegation process established in the 2009 season. One team a season can be promoted/relegated from each division. Prior to 2009, teams were simply allocated to divisions at the start of each season.An eight team group from 2009–12, the size of the top division has been fixed at 12 since 2013, seeing four extra teams promoted at the end of the 2012 season. However, teams returning after an absence from competing and new nations debuting are placed into the bottom division, hence its size, and the overall number nations participating in the league, has varied every season throughout the history of the competition. Having started with seven nations in 1998, who all still compete today, the milestone of 10 participating nations was reached in the 2002 season and 20 teams first took part in the 2011 season. Overall, 35 different nations have competed since the opening season. 21 members of UEFA are yet to enter the league. National teams such as Croatia, Malta and Slovenia have expressed interest in joining the league in the past, but have so far not participated. Current line-up2020 season provisional line-up:Inactive teamsOf the 35 nations that have competed at some point since the start of the EBSL, seven are currently inactive – absent from competing in the league in recent years, but may return to compete again in the future. However, note that Monaco are not a FIFA member and so are not eligible to return to compete – their solo appearance in 2004 took place before FIFA became governing body of beach soccer.
ResultsThe results shown were decided via the Superfinal since 2001 and via the end of season league table between 1998 and 2000.The awards shown were presented after the Superfinal. However note the following – awards presented to the players listed between 1998 and 2007 were based on those players' performances and goals amassed over the entire season. From 2008 onwards, season-encompassing awards were made defunct – the players listed received the awards based solely on their performance in the season-ending Superfinal. Successful teamsRelegated and promoted teams (Promotion Final results)The following table lists the results from the final match of the Promotion Final – the secondary post-season event in which the winner is promoted from Division B to Division A. ''The table also shows which defending Division A team failed to defend their place in the top tier during the Promotion Final and were therefore relegated. The promoted teams are also listed because, in some seasons, more teams than simply the Promotion Final winners gained promotion. These special circumstances are explained below the table. StatisticsRegular season stage winnersThe first phase of the EBSL is the regular season. The matches of the regular season are organised as small round robin tournaments known as stages. The team which earned the most points at the end of the stage are declared stage winners and receive a trophy.The following tables list every nation that has ever won a stage and how many stages in total they have won, by division. For comparison, the number of stages said team has ever played in that division in order to achieve the number of stage victories is also shown. Division AThis table shows the teams which have won Division A regular season stages.Note: 1) Before divisions were introduced in 2002, the league consisted of a single division. For this table, the stages of that time have been counted as de facto Division A stages A solo division was also used a final time in 2008. For this table, if the team was a member of Division A in 2007, the stages of '08 count. If they were not a member of Division A in '07, the stages count towards the Division B table.
Division BThis table shows the teams which have won Division B regular season stages since the division was introduced in 2002.Note: 1) Division C stages in 2004 and 2005 have been counted towards this table A solo division was used in 2008. For this table, if the team was a member of Division B in 2007, the stages of '08 count. If they were not a member of Division B in '07, the stages count towards the Division A table above.
Teams without a stage winThe following teams have previously competed in Division A or B stages but currently have 0 stage victories in that division.
Superfinal appearancesThe Superfinal is the post-season event in which the nations with the most points at the end of the regular season qualify to play in, with the winner becoming league champions.The table below lists all the teams who have ever qualified for Superfinal and the total number of times said team has appeared in the event. Italy and Portugal are the only two teams to appear in all 19 Superfinals. Of the eight winners of the EBSL, Switzerland appeared in most Superfinals before finally winning the title, claiming the crown at their 9th attempt. Meanwhile, Poland and Belarus have appeared in the most Superfinals without winning the EBSL title.
All-time tablesDivision or status in 2019:
Division AThe all-time Division A table is a cumulative record of all match results, points and goals of every team that has ever played whilst being a member of Division A of the EBSL.
Division BThe all-time Division B table is a cumulative record of all match results, points and goals of every team that has ever played whilst being a member of Division B of the EBSL since the division's establishment in 2002.
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