COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Oct. 4, 2023) – The 2023 Beach World Championships in Tlaxcala, Mexico are here. The biggest event this season on the FIVB beach calendar runs Oct. 6-15 and will feature eight U.S. teams all vying for the title of world champion.
Forty-eight teams in each gender across 40 different countries are split into 12 pools ahead of the 14th edition of the World Championship. On the line is a berth to the Paris 2024 Olympics for the winning teams’ countries and $1 million in prize money.
Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth drew Pool B. The duo is fresh off a silver medal at Elite16 Paris, which was the pair’s fifth medal this season on the Beach Pro Tour circuit. Nuss/Kloth will battle Andressa/Vitoria (BRA), Paulikiene/Raupelyte (LTU) and Akiko/Yurika (JPN)
Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes drew Pool C. They will face Agatha/Rebecca (BRA), Ittlinger /Borger (GER) and Albarran/Vidaurrazaga (MEX).
Megan Kraft and Terese Cannon drew Pool I. Kraft/Cannon teamed up at Paris Elite 16, advancing out of the qualification phase in their first international tournament together. Joining them in Pool I are Xue/X.Y. Xia (CHN), Alvarez M./Moreno (ESP) and Torres/Rivera (MEX).
Betsi Flint and Julia Scoles drew Pool J. The silver medalists from Montreal Elite 16 are with Gottardi/Menegatti (ITA), Klinger D./Klinger R. (AUT) and Quesada/Williams (CRC).
World Championship wild card pair Alix Klineman and Hailey Harward drew Pool K. The 2020 Olympic gold medalist and the two-time NCAA Beach Volleyball Champion (with the University of Southern California) will compete with J.Dong/Wang (CHN), Taina/Victoria (BRA) and Muller/Tillmann (GER).
In the men’s bracket, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh are in Pool C. The Gstaad Elite 16 winners are joined by Krou/Gauthier-Rat (FRA), Mol H./Bernsten (NOR) and Peter/Hernan (VEN).
Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner are in Pool D. They will see George/Andre (BRA), Popov/Reznik (UKR) and Jawo/Koita (GAM).
Tri Bourne and Chaim Schalk were placed in Pool F. Bourne and Schalk join Ehlers/Wickler (GER), Kantor/Zdybek (POL) and Aravena/Droguett (CHI).
Last year, world No.1 women’s pair Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA) won the championship in Rome, Italy. Hughes and Kelley Kolinske were the top U.S. finishers at fifth. For the men, Mol/Sorum (NOR) were the 2022 champions. Schalk and Brunner finished fourth for the United States.
All matches will be streamed on VolleyballWorld.tv
World Rankings
With the latest results from Paris Elite 16 officially in the books, the world rankings have undergone a slight shakeup ahead of the Beach World Championship.
Kristen Nuss and Taryn Kloth now take sole possession of world No. 2 with 7620 points. Just behind them are Kelly Cheng and Sara Hughes at world No. 3 with 7480 points. Both pairs trail world No. 1 Ana Patricia/Duda (BRA), who have 9100 points.
Julia Scoles and Betsi Flint move up one spot in the top 10, now sitting at eighth with 6000 points.
In the men’s rankings, Miles Partain and Andy Benesh drop into the world No. 4 spot with 6740 points. They were previously tied for number three in the world with Qatar’s Cherif Younousse and Ahmed Tijan, who are now behind Partain/Benesh at No. 5. Anders Mol/Christian Sorum (NOR) are world No. 1 with 9100 points.
Trevor Crabb and Theo Brunner move up one slot and are now ranked No. 24 with 4,280 points.
Current World Rankings – Women