The Euro Winners Challenge (ECC) is the qualification tournament of the Euro Winners Cup, the annual continental beach soccer club competition. It is contested by additional teams that don't meet the criteria to qualify directly to the EWC. The first edition was held in Portugal in 2018 as Nazaré Cup.
History The Beach Soccer Worldwide created the 2018 Nazaré Cup as a Preliminary tournament for the 2018 Euro Winners Cup contested by 32 club in Nazaré from 25 to 31 May with the final that ran in parallel to the EWC Round of 16. In 2019 the tournament was re-branded as Euro Winners Challenge while it kept to work as additional qualification tournament as the UEFA Intertoto Cup in association football and the European Rugby Continental Shield in rugby union. In 2024 the ECC changed its format and became a true secondary continental competition as a sort of beach soccer UEFA Europa League: a one week long tournament that qualify the winner to the following Euro Winners Cup.
Champions Year Location No. of clubsFinalSemifinalistWinnersResultRunners-upEWCLost to WinnerLost to Runnes-up 2018 Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal32BSC Kristall 3-2 Kfar Qassem BS Final Viareggio BS Casa Benfica de Loures 2019 Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal36BSC Lokomotiv Moscow 6-1 CSKA Moscow Quarterfinal CF Chelas GD Sesimbra 2022 Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal26Rosh HaAyin 8-7 Napoli Patron Quarterfinal Real Münster Varzim 2023 Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal15Marseille Minots 9-5 ACD O Sótão B Quarterfinal Buarcos 2017 Nazaré 2022 2024 Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal20Leixões S.C. 4-3 GD Sesimbra 2025 EWC União Ericeirense Vila Flor 2025 Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal20GD Alfarim 4-3 Real Münster 2026 EWC Cevennes Vila Flor 2026 Nazaré, Portugal, Portugal16G.D. Sesimbra 9-8 Marseille BT 2027 EWC Naxos BS G.D.U. Ericeirense
Awards YearTop goalscorer(s)GoalsMatchesBest playerBest goalkeeper2018 Gabriele Gori (Viareggio BS)1562019 Boris Nikonorov (L. Moscow)972022 Takaaki (Real Münster)1262023 F. Guerra (AD Buarcos)1462024 Matheus (Leixões SC)126 Pedrinho (Leixões SC) Ruben Regufe (Leixões SC)2025 Léo Martins (Real Münster) 146 João Cabral (GD Alfarim) João Oliveira (GD Alfarim)2026 Pedro Lucas (Marseille BT) Romain Billet (Mouilleron SF)146 Pedro Lucas (Marseille BT) João Oliveira (GD Sesimbra)
See also Euro Winners Cup World Winners Cup Women's Euro Winners Cup
References
External links Beach Soccer Worldwide, official website