Women's Euro Winners Cup

The Women's Euro Winners Cup is an annual continental beach soccer club competition contested between top-division European women's teams; the clubs that are their country's national league/championship champions (and, for some nations, one or more runners-up) from countries all across Europe take part.

Women's Euro Winners Cup
Founded2015[1]
RegionEurope
Number of teams20
Related competitionsEuro Winners Cup
Current champions AIS Playas de San Javier (1st title)
Most successful club(s) Grasshoppers
Havana Shots Aargau
WFC Zvezda
AIS Playas de San Javier
(1 title each)
WebsiteBeach Soccer Worldwide
2018 Women's Euro Winners Cup

Organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW), the championship is viewed as the sport's version of the UEFA Women's Champions League in association football.[1][2][3] Offering the strongest level of club competition on the old continent, it is the most prestigious women's club beach soccer championship in Europe, the winners becoming continental champions.[4][5]

Citing the many national women's leagues in Europe and one of their "strongest commitments" to develop women's beach soccer going into the year of the tournament's establishment, BSWW created the championship in 2016, following the founding of the men's edition of the Euro Winners Cup in 2013.[1]

The tournament takes place within the framework of the larger men's version of the tournament, happening during the same dates and location over the course of about a week.

Of the three editions to date, Swiss clubs have won two (Grasshoppers and Havana Shots Aargau) and one was won by a Russian side (WFC Zvezda).

Organisation

As of 2017

Qualification

The champions of each of Europe's national women's beach soccer leagues (or championships) qualify to play in the event.[6]

In countries where women's clubs exist but a national women's league or championship does not yet exist in that nation, clubs can contact BSWW to register themselves as that country's representative.[6]

If a national association wishes to enter additional clubs, they can request for permission to do so from the organisers BSWW who will grant or reject the clubs a berth at the tournament depending on the total number of teams already registered.[6]

Format

The tournament starts with the group stage. The clubs are split into groups (typically of four) and compete in round robin format. At the end of the group stage, the top eight clubs (group winners and best runners-up) advance to the knockout stage. The teams then compete in single-elimination matches; the quarter-finals, semi-finals and ending with the final. Consolation matches are also played to determine the final rankings involving the clubs knocked out of these rounds.

Results
Year Location № of clubs Final Third place play-off
Champions Result Runners-up 3rd place Result 4th place
2016 Catania, Italy 12 Grasshoppers 5–4 BeachKick Berlin WFC Zvezda 5–3 Catanzaro
2017 Nazaré, Portugal 19 Havana Shots Aargau 4–3 (a.e.t.) Portsmouth Higicontrol Melilla 4–3 WFC Zvezda
2018 Nazaré, Portugal 20 WFC Zvezda 2–0 Portsmouth AIS Playas de San Javier 3–1 Amnéville
2019 Nazaré, Portugal 20 AIS Playas de San Javier 3–3 (a.e.t.)[A] Madrid Stade de Reims 9–3 Lokrians
2020 Nazaré, Portugal[7]
A. ^ AIS Playas de San Javier won the penalty shootout 2–0.

Performance

By club
Team Winners Runners-up Third place
AIS Playas de San Javier 1 (2019) – 1 (2018)
WFC Zvezda 1 (2018) – 1 (2016)
Havana Shots Aargau 1 (2017) – –
Grasshoppers 1 (2016) – –
Portsmouth Ladies – 2 (2017, 2018) –
Madrid CFF – 1 (2019) –
BeachKick Ladies Berlin – 1 (2016) –
Stade de Reims – – 1 (2019)
Higicontrol Melilla – – 1 (2017)

By nation
Nation Winners Runners-up Third place
  Switzerland 2 0 0
 Spain 1 1 2
 Russia 1 0 1
 England 0 2 0
 Germany 0 1 0
 France 0 0 1

See also

References
  1. "Euro Winners Cup 2016 to feature Women's competition". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 2 December 2015. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  2. "Beachsoccerteam VIOD klaar voor Champions League avontuur" (in Dutch). nieuwedockumercourant.nl. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  3. "Euro Winners Cup (Champions League) Havana Shots Aargau Damen" (in German). funders.ch. 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  4. "The biggest Euro Winners Cup ever!". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 18 February 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  5. "Women's Euro Winners Cup 2017". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 2017. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
  6. "Euro Winners Cup 2017 to feature preliminary round". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 3 February 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  7. Что? Где? Когда? Открываем все «чёрные ящики» сезона-2020!. Beach Soccer Russia. 21 January 2020. (in Russian).
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