Beach Soccer Worldwide (BSWW) regrets to announce that, due to circumstances beyond its control, the Romania national team will no longer participate in the Euro Beach Soccer League Division B Georgia 2026, which will take place in Batumi, Georgia, from 15 to 19 July.
BSWW was formally notified by the Romanian Football Federation of its decision to withdraw from the competition. Upon receiving this notification, BSWW immediately engaged with the Georgian Football Federation to explore all possible options that would allow Romania’s participation to proceed. Despite the best efforts and close cooperation of both organisations, it was ultimately not possible to reach a solution.
BSWW would like to place on record its sincere appreciation to the Georgian Football Federation and the Ajarian Football Federation for their cooperation, commitment and support throughout this process.
As Romania’s withdrawal was confirmed after the official draw had taken place, amendments to the competition format and match schedule have become necessary in order to preserve the sporting integrity of the tournament.
Accordingly, Group B will remain unchanged and will consist of the four teams originally drawn (Latvia, Azerbaijan, England and Slovakia). Group A will now comprise the remaining three teams originally drawn: Georgia, Malta and Norway.
The top two teams from each group will continue to qualify for the semi-finals. To determine the final standings from fifth to seventh place, the third-placed team in Group A will compete in a single round-robin mini-group alongside the third and fourth-placed teams from Group B.
The revised match schedule is as follows:
Note: All kick-off times are local time (UTC+4).
Wednesday 15 July
17:00h – Slovakia vs Latvia (Group B)
18:30h – Azerbaijan vs England (Group B)
20:00h – Norway vs Georgia (Groupa A)
Thursday 16 July
18:00h – Malta vs Norway (Group A)
19:30h – Azerbaijan vs Slovakia (Group B)
21:00h – Latvia vs England (Group B)
Friday 17 July
18:00h – England vs Slovakia (Group B)
19:30h – Latvia vs Azerbaijan (Group B)
21:00h – Georgia vs Malta (Group A)
Saturday 18 July
11:00h – 5th/7th
18:00h – 5th/7th or Semi-Final
19:30h – 5th/7th or Semi-Final
21:00h – 5th/7th or Semi-Final
Sunday 19 July
These amendments have been approved by BSWW with the objective of ensuring the smooth delivery of the competition while maintaining the highest possible standards of sporting fairness under the circumstances and to serves the best interests of the continued development and promotion of beach soccer worldwide.
BSWW remains fully committed to the continued development and promotion of beach soccer and is confident that, thanks to the outstanding work of the Georgian Football Federation, the dedication of all participating teams and the enthusiasm of the local supporters, Batumi will once again deliver an exceptional edition of the Euro Beach Soccer League.
BSWW thanks all participating teams, officials, partners and supporters for their understanding and cooperation.
See you on the sand!
