The biggest event of the beach volleyball calendar not named the Olympics is quickly coming upon us. The World Championships, hosted in Adelaide, Australia, November 14-13, is less than a month away. Over the next several weeks, we will be recording and writing previews, breaking down both the men’s and the women’s field, and adding other useful information before the event. Before we get into the pool breakdown for the women, a quick explainer on the format:
- 48 teams are broken up into the 12 pools you will see below
- Pool play is a round robin format in which every team plays one another
- The top two teams from each pool advance into the round of 32
- The top four third-place teams from each pool advance into the round of 32
- The next four third-place teams will play one another in a pigtail or “lucky loser” round, in which the winner of one matchup will advance into the round of 32 against the one seed, and the other winner will advance to play the two seed
- Tiebreaks are done via: matches won, sets won, point differential. In that order
- If you have any questions, let me know and I’ll do my best.
Onto the pools.
Pool A: Where Things Can Get Weird
Thamela Coradello, Victoria Lopes, Brazil
Lisbeth Allcca, Claudia Gaona, Peru
Tetiana Lazarenko, Daria Romaniuk, Ukraine
Giuliana Corrales, Michelle Valiente, Paraguay
The thing about pool play is that a bracket can get awfully weird with just a single strange loss or upset. Pool A includes the world No. 1 in Thamela Coradello and Victoria Lopes, and a dragon slayer in Ukraine’s Tetiana Lazarenko and Daria Romaniuk. That matchup will be the first major upset alert matchup that could send the ensuing playoff bracket into chaos, as Lopes and Coradello, talented as they may be, are no Death Star, while Lazarenko has displayed an ability to beat anybody, as she did in:
- Yucatan, where she swept Rebecca and Carol, 21-13, 21-15
- Quintana Roo, where she swept Kelly Cheng and Molly Shaw, and beat Rebecca and Carol again
- Stare Jablonki, where she ran the table to a gold medal without so much as dropping a set
Whether Romaniuk, a 21-year-old who played the season with Yeva Serdiuk, can play at that level is yet to be seen, but Lazarenko has established herself as then some.
Who we’re picking to win: Thamela, Victoria
Pool B: Will the Ukrainian Summer Continue?
Rebecca Cavalcanti, Carol Salgado, Brazil
Marwa Abdelhady, Nada Hamdy, Egypt
Valentyna Davidova, Anhelina Khmil, Ukraine
Mila Konink, Desy Poiesz, Netherlands
This summer has been a breakout one for Ukraine, who boasts two teams in this World Championship, both of whom have displayed an ability to beat the best in the world. Anhelina Khmil parlayed her NCAA Championship at TCU in May into a stunner over Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher and Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth in Ostrava. Khmil and Valentyna Davidova haven’t really cooled from there, playing five events since and finishing in the top-10 in all but one while raking in a bronze medal at the Alanya Challenge.
Whether they can top Rebecca and Carol, the veterans with a pair of Elite gold medals this season, is yet to be seen, but their match should be an excellent watch.
With Egypt in the pool, Mila Konink and Desy Poiesz shouldn’t have much trouble breaking into the playoffs, either.
Who we’re picking to win: Rebecca, Carol
Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher celebrate winning the championship during the AVP Manhattan Beach Open on August 17, 2025 in Manhattan Beach, CA. (Photo by Will Chu)
Pool C: The Calm Before the Storm
Taryn Brasher, Kristen Nuss, USA Volleyball
Pamela Bawa, Esther Mbah, Nigeria
Wies Bekhuis, Emi van Driel, Netherlands
Hegeile Almeida, Vitoria De Souza, Brazil
Kristen Nuss and Taryn Brasher have reached a point in their careers where anything less than a medal is cause for concern to the USA Volleyball faithful. Such is the price of greatness, and indeed, they are great. They didn’t lose a single match on U.S. soil this year, have tied a career-high three gold medals thus far on the Beach Pro Tour (3) and are winning matches at the highest percentage of their careers (81.5). With Nigeria in their pool, and two solid but not great teams in Wies Bekhuis and Emi van Driel of the Netherlands and Hegeile Almeida and Vitoria De Souza of Brazil, the first three matches for Nuss and Brasher are a glorified warm up.
The calm before the storm of medal or bust, which is how this will likely be viewed both by them, if their podcast from Gstaad is any indicator, and the American fans.
Who we’re picking to win: Kristen Nuss, Taryn Brasher
Pool D: Cinderellas No More
Megan Kraft, Terese Cannon, USA Volleyball
Mercia Mucheza, Vanessa Muianga, Mozambique
Anna Grune, Sandra Ittlinger, Germany
Lezana Placette, Alexia Richard, France
Two years ago, in Tlaxcala, Mexico, Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft were something of an adorable story, plucky underdogs who, when they won their pool, quipped: “I didn’t even know that was possible!” Now it is not only possible, but highly likely for the second-ranked American duo. They have been the bridesmaids of the Beach Pro Tour this season, with medals aplenty – two silver and a bronze — but no golds as of yet. The World Championships presents their final opportunity to nab one, and it would be a big one indeed.
The most intriguing battle of this pool, like many in the pool play phase of this event, will be for second and third, between two intriguingly matched teams in Germany’s Sandra Ittlinger and Anna Grune and France’s Lezana Placette and Alexia Richard. The former is having a mini-breakout season, coming off a bronze medal in Cape Town, the latter has struggled since qualifying for and competing in the Paris Olympic Games.
Who we’re picking to win: Terese Cannon, Megan Kraft
Tina Graudina/Graham Hays photo
Pool E: Intrigue Begins
Tina Graudina, Anastasija Samoilova, Latvia
Atenas Gutierrez, Susana Torres, Mexico
Giada Bianchi, Claudia Scampoli, Italy
Reika Murakami, Asami Shiba, Japan
This is the first pool where it’s a genuine question over who will break out into the playoff rounds. While Tina Graudina and Anastasija Samoilova of Latvia are the heavy favorites to win pool, there are three plucky teams behind them who could trade blows. Mexico’s Atenas Gutierrez is an excellent defender who transitions well, and while she and Susana Torres will be underdogs, they could certainly take a match off either Giada Bianchi and Claudia Scampoli or Japan’s Reika Murakami and Asami Shiba. In a small sample size of just four events, Mexico has a win over Hegeile Almeida and Vitoria de Souza and were competitive in tight losses to Switzerland’s Leona Kernen and Tanja Huberli and USA Volleyball’s Chloe Loreen and Corinne Quiggle.
In the end, it’ll likely come down to Mexico vs. Japan, as Bianchi and Scampoli have displayed a high ceiling, with two top-10s in Elites this season.
Who we’re picking to win: Tina Graudina, Anastasija Samoilova
Brazils Duda digging at the Elite 16 Newport Beach/Graham Hayes photo
Pool F: Dr. Jekyll or Mrs. Hyde?
Duda Lisboa, Ana Patricia Silva, Brazil
Kayla Mears, Tara Phillips, Australia
Marie-Sara Stochlova, Marketa Svozilova, Czech Republic
Natalia Okla, Urszula Lunio, Poland
This year has been such a fascinating one to observe in watching Duda Lisboa and Ana Patricia Silva. Once the clear, if not unanimous, pick as the best team in the world, the 2024 Olympic gold medalists haven’t made a final since Paris, the longest stretch of their partnership. Granted, they’ve won five bronze medals, so they’re not far off, but they’re also not the juggernaut they were during the Paris Olympic quad. Big-time teams, however, reserve their best for the big-time moments, and the World Championships, which they won in 2022 and came within a few points of repeating in 2023, are the biggest moment outside of the Olympic Games.
It all begs the question: Which Ana Patricia and Duda will show up?
In pool play, it won’t matter much, as they will be the heavy favorites in every match they play. The most interesting matches, then, will be between the other three teams, and the home duo of Tara Phillips and Kayla Mears will have an uphill battle as they are still looking for their first match win of the year on the Beach Pro Tour.
Who we’re picking to win: Duda, Ana Patricia
Pool G: The Honorable Mention Pool of Death
Kelly Cheng, Molly Shaw, USA Volleyball
Stefanie Fejes, Jasmine Fleming, Australia
Daniela Alvarez, Tania Moreno, Spain
Monika Paulikiene, Aine Raupelyte, Lithuania
This isn’t the top-ranked pool of death, but it is the honorable mention. Three teams in this pool boast Olympic experience — Kelly Cheng, Aine Raupelyte and Monika Paulikiene, Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno — while Jasmine Fleming and Stefanie Fejes are also not a team to sleep on. They’re coming off consecutive top-fives in Challenge events in Baden and Nuvali, winning a bronze in the latter. They’ve also, as they say in the local parlance, taken some scalps with wins over World Champs qualifiers Dorina Klinger and Ronja Klinger and Maryna Hladun and Tetiana Lazarenko.
Meanwhile, Daniela Alvarez and Tania Moreno have found their stride again, with consecutive top-10s in Elites in Joao Pessoa and Montreal and a fourth at the European Championships. While Monika Paulikiene and Aine Raupelyte have had a down year after careering throughout the Paris Olympic quad, they’re still a dangerous duo with three top-10s in their last six events.
Who we’re picking to win: Kelly Cheng, Molly Shaw
Pool H: Civil War
Svenja Muller, Cinja Tillmann, Germany
Moreno Abdala, Brenda Churin, Argentina
Linda Bock, Louisa Lippmann, Germany
Maria Gonzalez, Allanis Navas, Puerto Rico
There are two main elements to watch in this pool: Germany’s Civil War, between the now-established Louisa Lippmann and her rookie partner, Linda Bock, and their veteran teammates/rivals in Svenja Muller and Cinja Tillmann; and the de facto matchup to break pool between Argentina’s Brenda Churin and Moreno Abdale and Puerto Rico’s Allanis Navas and Maria Gonzalez.
The Germans have never played against one another, and the debut matchup should be tremendous, as Bock and Lippmann have won two Challenge medals – silver in Stare Jablonki, gold in Baden – and Tillmann and Muller are coming off their first gold in more than a year in Cape Town and are nearly immune to major upsets on the Beach Pro Tour.
Gonzalez and Navas have won six out of seven NORCECAs this season and finished third in the other. Their only Beach Pro Tour competition resulted in a bronze medal at the Veracruz Challenge.
Eight events. Eight medals.
Decent.
Churin and Abdale will be underdogs, but Argentina always finds a way to be scrappy in the big tournaments.
Who we’re picking to win: Cinja Tillmann, Svenja Muller
Pool I: Pool of Death
Valentina Gottardi, Reka Orsi Toth, Italy
Marie-Alex Belanger, Lea Monkhouse, Canada
Lexy Denaburg, Julia Donlin, USA Volleyball
Olivia MacDonald, Shaunna Polley, New Zealand
Here we are, ladies and gentlemen: The dreaded Pool of Death. Only Pool G comes close to the wattage of power here, as we have:
- The most electrifying player on the Beach Pro Tour in Valentina Gottardi, who won her first – and long-awaited – gold medal with Reka Orsi Toth in convincing fashion in Hamburg
- The most physical team from the deepest federation in Julia Donlin and Lexy Denaburg
- A sneaky talented and dangerous team from Canada in Marie-Alex Belanger and Lea Monkhouse
- New Zealand’s top and very well-traveled pair in Shaunna Polley and Olivia MacDonald, who have played 14 (14!!) events this season.
Italy and the USA shouldn’t have a huge issue breaking pool, and it’s easy to point to Canada and New Zealand as a de facto play-in match into the playoffs. New Zealand is playing the best volleyball yet, with a fourth in Veracruz and a fifth in Nuvali, and Canada, too, is coming off a top-10 in Nuvali, their best finish as a team.
Who we’re picking to win: Julia Donlin, Lexy Denaburg
Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson celebrate winning in Montreal/Volleyball World photo
Pool J: Two medalists, one pool?
Melissa Humana-Paredes, Brandie Wilkerson, Canada
Dina Mellal, Mahassine Siad, Morocco
Aline Chamereau, Clemence Vieira, France
Raisa Schoon, Katja Stam, Netherlands
It’s always an honor when multiple teams from the same pool make the semifinals, or even make the podium. This pool has a shot at just that, as Melissa Humana-Paredes and Brandie Wilkerson are on a run of six straight top-fives – including a gold medal at the Montreal Elite – and Katja Stam and Raisa Schoon have set the universe back in its proper order by reuniting and winning out of the qualifier in Veracruz and taking another silver on Sunday at the Cape Town Elite.
It wouldn’t be a surprise in the least to see both of those teams in the quarterfinals and beyond.
Aline Chamereau and Clemence Vieira are having an excellent year as well, with two Challenge bronze medals — in Alanya and Stare Jablonki — and should have little trouble with Morocco to break pool.
Who we’re picking to win: Katja Stam, Raisa Schoon
Anouk Verge-Depre goes up for a block against Tanja Huberli/Volleyball World photo
Pool K: Parent Trap
Anouk Verge-Depre, Zoe Verge-Depre, Switzerland
Crismil Paniagua, Julibeth Payano, Dominican Republic
Dorina Klinger, Ronja Klinger, Austria
Elizabeth Alchin, Georgia Johnson, Australia
I’m so glad I had an excuse to name a pool after such an iconic movie. Here we have the only two sister teams in this event put together in the same pool. Prepare for high emotions both on the court and back home, where two sets of parents will be watching with bated breath.
Both Anouk Verge-Depre and Zoe Verge-Depre, and Ronja Klinger and Dorina Klinger, are favored to break pool, as Crismil Paniagua and Julibeth Payano of the Dominican Republic will be severe underdogs to win a match – they haven’t even made a quarterfinal in three NORCECAs this season. The intriguing element of this pool is Elizabeth Alchin and Georgia Johnson, a home pair who stunned Valentina Gottardi and Reka Orsi Toth in Montreal en route to a career-high ninth-place finish in an Elite. That’s a high ceiling, and teams with high ceilings are dangerous in major events.
Who we’re picking to win: Anouk Verge-Depre, Zoe Verge-Depre
Tanja Huberli and Leona Kernen celebrate/Volleyball World photo
Pool L: The Coin Flip
Taliqua Clancy, Jana Milutinovic, Australia
Jingzhe Wang, Xinyi Xia, China
Tanja Huberli, Leona Kernen, Switzerland
Lea Kunst, Melanie Paul, Germany
Who is the top team in this pool? Does anybody know?
Gut says its Tanja Huberli and Leona Kernen, but with Huberli coming off an injury, and this being a lame duck tournament as their last event as partners – Huberli will return with Nina Brunner next season, and Kernen will play with Joana Mader – it’s always a wonder how that will impact their play on the court. It shouldn’t, seeing as it’s a World Championship, but you just never know.
Meanwhile, China’s Xinyi Xia, a two-time Olympian and fantastic defender, has only played three events this year with Jingzhe Wang – and none since May, when they forfeited out of the Xiamen Challenge.
Melanie Paul was put on FIVB probation for once competing for Chile a million years ago, and now she’s out of jail and back into an event, but not after that probation interrupted what was the best season of her career with Lea Kunst.
And, to top it off, Taliqua Clancy and Jana Milutinovic have never really found a consistent stride this year but…but… it’s still Taliqua Clancy, one of the best players on the planet, with three Olympic appearances and a silver medal in Tokyo to show for it.
Who we’re picking to win: Leona Kernen, Tanja Huberli
