The 2025 Beach Pro Tour in Rio de Janeiro showcased high-caliber beach volleyball, with standout performances from both men's and women's teams. Cherif Younousse & Ahmed Tijan of Qatar emerged victorious, seizing their third gold of the season and fifth career win on the Beach Pro Tour. Their final against Cuba's Noslen Diaz & Jorge Alayo was a dramatic three-set thriller, ending 21-14, 17-21, 18-16.
The Qatari duo demonstrated exceptional form with a 6-1 tournament record, including a dominant straight-sets win in the semifinals against Latvia’s Martins Plavins & Kristians Fokerots. This victory also marked their ninth podium finish since the Tour's inception in 2022.
In the bronze medal match, Stefan Boermans & Yorick de Groot of the Netherlands rebounded from a narrow semifinal defeat to secure third place. They defeated the Latvian team 2-1, earning their fourth consecutive Elite bronze in 2025 and bringing their career total to 12 podium finishes on the Tour.
On the women’s side, Brazilian fans celebrated as Carol Solberg & Rebecca Cavalcanti captured their second Elite event gold. They edged out compatriots Thamela Coradello & Victoria Lopes in a hard-fought final (18-21, 21-18, 15-11). In the semifinals, the Brazilian winners overcame Team USA’s Terese Cannon & Megan Kraft in straight sets.
Cannon & Kraft, determined not to leave empty-handed, clinched bronze in an exciting all-American third-place match against Molly Shaw & Kelly Cheng. This match was a rematch of the previous week's final in Joao Pessoa, continuing a fierce rivalry between the two U.S. squads.
A total of 64 teams—split evenly between men's and women's draws—represented 25 countries in the Rio event. The FIVB’s Volleyball Empowerment initiative played a pivotal role in helping emerging volleyball nations like Qatar and the Netherlands by offering access to coaching and equipment, further raising the competitive bar of the event.
The Beach Pro Tour now heads to Newport Beach, USA, where the next Elite tournament is scheduled to take place from October 7–11.
For more details, visit the official FIVB article.
