2020 Euro Beach Soccer League

The 2020 Euro Beach Soccer League (EBSL) will be the 23rd edition of the Euro Beach Soccer League, the annual, premier competition in European beach soccer contested between men's national teams. It is organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW).

2020 Euro Beach Soccer League
Tournament details
Host countriesMoldova
Portugal
Dates19 August – 6 September
TeamsTBA (from 1 confederation)
Venue(s)2 (in 2 host cities)
Promotion Final,
Chișinău
Superfinal, Figueira da Foz
Locations of the Promotion Final and the Superfinal of the 2020 Euro Beach Soccer League

This season, the competing teams continue to take part in two divisions: the top tier (Division A) and the bottom tier (Division B). 12 teams continue to contest Division A; all twelve teams return from last season's top tier as none were relegated. Division B is expected accommodate 16 nations: nations who did not gain promotion from last season, teams making their debut, and nations returning after an absence from competing in recent years.

The season has been greatly affected by the 2019–20 COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a vastly shortened campaign. Originally due to start in June, the start of the season has been postponed until August which has ultimately seen the entire regular season cancelled. Therefore, all competing teams enter straight into their respective divisions' post-season events: nations of Division A into the Superfinal, to compete to become the winners of this year's EBSL, and countries of Division B into the Promotion Final, to try to earn a spot in Division A next year.[1]

Portugal are the defending champions.

Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic

The preliminary 2020 EBSL season schedule was released in November 2019.[2] It was planned that the regular season, taking place during June and July, would consist of five stages of fixtures in Moscow (Russia), Naples (Italy), Nazaré (Portugal), Budapest (Hungary) and one unnamed location.[3]

In March 2020, with the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic increasing rapidly across Europe, Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) announced the suspension of all beach soccer competitions under their auspices until at least June to protect the health of all those involved.[4] In May, with the situation yet to improve, BSWW extended the suspension until September[5] – typically this is the end of the EBSL season. However, in July, with the situation in Europe easing, BSWW announced that the EBSL season will begin in August but with major format changes due to the virus's effect:[1][6]

  • Due to the extreme delay to the start of the season, the entire regular season has been cancelled.
  • Only the finals will go ahead; all teams enter straight into their respective divisions' post-season event (usually reserved for the top eight teams from each division at the end of the regular season).
  • The usual format of the post-season events has been abandoned to accommodate the increase in teams.
  • There will be no relegation from Division A (in part, this is a provision for the possibility of nations in Division A choosing not to participate out of health and safety concerns surrounding the ongoing pandemic – they will not be penalised for doing so).

Calendar and locations

The calendar was revealed on 8 July 2020. Organisers, BSWW, stressed the schedule may be changed depending on the future state of the COVID-19 Pandemic.[1]

Moldova will host an EBSL event for the first time.[7]

Phase Dates Country City Stage Divisions
Regular seasonCancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic
Post-season/
Finals		19–23 August MoldovaChișinăuPromotion Final*B
1–6 September PortugalFigueira da FozSuperfinalA

Teams

The numbers in parentheses show the European ranking of each team prior to the start of the season, out of 37 nations.[9]

Division A

Division B

Up to 16 teams are expected.[6]

Promotion Final (Chișinău, 19–23 August)

Matches are listed as local time in Chișinău, EEST (UTC+3).

All matches take place at the FMF Beach Soccer Stadium at La Izvor Park in the district of Buiucani, with a capacity of 1,024.[7]

The Promotion Final starts with a round-robin group stage, with the 16 teams split into four groups of four. The winners of each group will advance to the semi-finals to continue to contest for the Promotion Final title. The teams finishing in second, third and fourth place will play in consolation matches against teams in the corresponding positions in the other groups to determine the final positions of 5th–16th.[6]

Each season, only one team, the winners, gain promotion to Division A. However, BSWW have announced that Division A will be expanded from 12 to 16 teams for 2021. Therefore, four teams will gain promotion from Division B this year – the four group winners.[6]

Group stage
Key: Advance to –      Semi-finals / (H) Hosts

Group 1
Pos Team Pld W W+ WP L GF GA GD Pts
1 000000000
2 000000000
3 000000000
4 000000000
19 August 2020 –
19 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –

Group 2
Pos Team Pld W W+ WP L GF GA GD Pts
1 000000000
2 000000000
3 000000000
4 000000000
19 August 2020 –
19 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –

Group 3
Pos Team Pld W W+ WP L GF GA GD Pts
1 000000000
2 000000000
3 000000000
4 000000000
19 August 2020 –
19 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –

Group 4
Pos Team Pld W W+ WP L GF GA GD Pts
1 000000000
2 000000000
3 000000000
4 000000000
19 August 2020 –
19 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
20 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –
21 August 2020 –

Knockout-stage

13th–16th place
  13th–16th place semi-finals     13th place match
                 
   
     
     
     
     
    15th place match
 
 
Semi-finals
–
–
Fifteenth place match
–
Thirteenth place match
–

9th–12th place
  9th–12th place semi-finals     9th place match
                 
   
     
     
     
     
    11th place match
 
 
Semi-finals
–
–
Eleventh place match
–
Ninth place match
–

5th–8th place
  5th–8th place semi-finals     5th place match
                 
   
     
     
     
     
    7th place match
 
 
Semi-finals
–
–
Seventh place match
–
Fifth place match
–

1st–4th place
  Semi-finals     Final
                 
   
     
     
     
     
    3rd place match
 
 
Semi-finals
–
–
Third place match
–
Promotion play-off final
–

Superfinal (Figueira da Foz, 1–6 September)

Matches are listed as local time in Figueira da Foz, WEST (UTC+1).

The Superfinal starts with a round-robin group stage, with the 12 teams split into three groups of four. The winners, runners-up and two best third placed teams of each group will advance to the quarter-finals to continue to contest for the EBSL title. The teams finishing in fourth place and worst third place team will play in consolation matches to determine the final positions of 9th–12th.[6]

As per the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the competition, no team will be relegated to Division B this season.

Group stage
Key: Advance to –      Semi-finals /      Possible semi-finals / (H) Hosts

Group 1
Pos Team Pld W W+ WP L GF GA GD Pts
1 000000000
2 000000000
3 000000000
4 000000000
1 September 2020 –
1 September 2020 –
2 September 2020 –
2 September 2020 –
3 September 2020 –
3 September 2020 –

Group 2
Pos Team Pld W W+ WP L GF GA GD Pts
1 000000000
2 000000000
3 000000000
4 000000000
1 September 2020 –
1 September 2020 –
2 September 2020 –
2 September 2020 –
3 September 2020 –
3 September 2020 –

Group 3
Pos Team Pld W W+ WP L GF GA GD Pts
1 000000000
2 000000000
3 000000000
4 000000000
1 September 2020 –
1 September 2020 –
2 September 2020 –
2 September 2020 –
3 September 2020 –
3 September 2020 –

Knockout stage

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.

  5th place match 5th – 8th place semi-finals Quarter-finals Semi-finals Final
                                               
           
           
                     
                   
             
           
                  
                   
               
           
                  
  7th place match                         3rd place match
                         
                           
        

Quarter-finals
–
–
–
–

Semi-finals
5th–8th place
–
–
1st–4th place
–
–

Finals
Eleventh place match
–
Ninth place match
–
Seventh place match
–
Fifth place match
–
Third place match
–
Superfinal match
–
gollark: Someone NOT on the server making and compiling the video?
gollark: A good video could be made on this but it might be better with an outside perspective.
gollark: Anyway, to summarise the rest of it, as I'm sure you've seen, eventually the reshuffling thing began actually happening in earnest, and today another thing happened (I forgot what), various people left, more of them joined new esolangs without leaving, and palaiologos pushed ahead with stricter rule updates in a rather authoritarian way.
gollark: Yes.
gollark: Anyway, at some point palaiologos seems to have decided that the server needed a substantial overhaul.(For video purposes you should of course find screenshots of all this stuff; I think much of it was in staff chat though)

References
  1. "The 2020 beach soccer season to begin in August". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  2. "Заглянем в будущее! На встрече Season Launch 2020 рассказали, каким будет следующий сезон" (in Russian). Beach Soccer Russia. 11 November 2019. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  3. "Что? Где? Когда? Открываем все «чёрные ящики» сезона-2020!" (in Russian). Beach Soccer Russia. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  4. "All BSWW-organized competitions postponed until 1st June". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  5. "BSWW to kick off season in September". Beach Soccer Worldwide. 1 May 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  6. "Beach Soccer Talks #10: Season Update". Beach Soccer Worldwide – Facebook. 8 July 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  7. "MOLDOVA VA DESCHIDE SEZONUL INTERNAȚIONAL LA FOTBAL PE PLAJĂ!" (in Romanian). Moldovan Football Federation. 9 July 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2020.
  8. https://fmf.md/noutate/1655/turneul-euro-beach-soccer-league-de-la-chisinauanulat
  9. "OVERALL WORLD RANKING - EUROPE". Beach Soccer Worldwide. March 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
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