From 14 to 23 November, the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship will bring together the globe’s top duos, and among them, Canada’s Samuel Schachter & Jonathan Pickett will carry the Maple Leaf into battle.
This year’s World Championship will take place across two stunning city venues — The Drive and Pinky Flat/Tarntanya Wama — with Adelaide’s vibrant riverside backdrop providing the perfect setting for elite beach volleyball.
Volleyball Canada’s beach volleyball department has so far been allocated a total of USD 84,000 in FIVB Volleyball Empowerment coach support for their men’s national duos, training under the guidance of NextGen coach Josh Nichol.
Seeded 35th, the Canadian pair may be the underdogs in Adelaide, but they arrive with a compelling story.
Canada’s Jonathan Pickett (left) & Samuel Schachter celebrate a point during the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Brasilia.
For Samuel Schachter, the tournament marks another milestone in a remarkable career. Adelaide will be his sixth World Championship appearance, having previously competed in the 2015, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2023 editions with different partners. His decorated career includes appearances at two Olympic Games — Rio 2016 alongside Josh Binstock and Paris 2024 with Daniel Dearing — and two Commonwealth Games silver medals in Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022.
On the other hand, Jonathan Pickett, will be making his senior World Championship debut. Pickett, once a promising junior who featured in the 2019 U21 World Championship, now steps onto the sport’s biggest stage with a chance to learn, grow, and prove himself among the best.
Canada’s Samuel Schachter dives during the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Montreal.
Formed in 2025, Schachter & Pickett have steadily built chemistry on the Beach Pro Tour, competing in six international events this season — Elite16 stops in Brasília, Saquarema, and Montreal, as well as Challenge tournaments in Warmia Mazury, Alanya, and Yucatán. Their campaign has been one of persistence and progress, learning to blend Schachter’s veteran poise with Pickett’s youthful energy and athleticism.
Schachter & Pickett have been drawn into Pool K, where they’ll face Germany’s 14th seeds Nils Ehlers & Clemens Wickler on 15 November, Argentina’s Capogrosso brothers, Tomás & Nicolás, who are seeded 11th and Mozambique’s José Alberto Mondlane & Osvaldo Mungoi on 17 November.
For Schachter & Pickett, the goal is clear — to fight their way out of the group and earn a spot in the elimination rounds. Even against higher-seeded opponents, the duo see Adelaide as a proving ground for the next phase of their journey.
Canada’s Jonathan Pickett in action during the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Elite16 event in Montreal.
While a medal run this year may be a long shot, the 2025 World Championship represents a critical stepping stone toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. With every serve, dig, and spike, Schachter & Pickett aim to perform with confidence and consistency and lay the foundation for future success.
Meanwhile, Canada will also have two women’s pairs taking part in the World Championship although they are not supported by Volleyball Empowerment.
Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson, who are seeded 10th, are in Pool J together with Clémence Vieira & Aline Chamereau of France, Katja Stam & Raïsa Schoon of The Netherlands and Mahassine Siad & Dina Mellal of Morocco.
The second Canadian women’s duo of Lea Monkhouse & Marie-Alex Bélanger are in Pool I with New Zealand’s Shaunna Polley & Olivia MacDonald, USA’s Julia Donlin & Lexy Denaburg and Italy’s Valentina Gottardi & Reka Orsi Toth.
