The Netherlands is set to make a strong impression at the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, taking place from 14 to 23 November in Adelaide, Australia. The competition will be held across The Drive and Pinky Flat/Tarntanya Wama, in the heart of the city.
Supported by FIVB Volleyball Empowerment, which has provided USD 332,000 in coaching support to the Netherlands Volleyball Federation (Nevobo), the Dutch delegation arrives in Adelaide with confidence and clear ambition. Under the guidance of Antreas Savvidis (women’s teams) and Michiel van der Kuip (men’s teams), the five Dutch pairs — two men’s and three women’s — are ready to showcase their progress on the world stage.
Leading the Dutch men’s contingent are Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, the world-class pair seeded second in the competition. Since forming their partnership in 2020, Boermans and De Groot have become one of the most consistent duos on the international circuit. They reached the quarterfinals at the 2023 World Championship, represented the Netherlands at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and won silver at the 2021 European Championship.
Their 2025 season has continued that strong trend, with gold at the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 stop in Brasilia and bronze medals in other Elite16 events in Gstaad, Saquarema, and Hamburg. Boermans & de Groot also reached the semifinals of the 2025 European Championship but settled fourth.
Yorick de Groot in action during the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Elite16 stop in Brasilia.
Boermans, 30, is appearing at his third World Championship, while De Groot, 25, is making his second. They are in Pool B where they will start their campaign against Australia’s Luke Ryan & Zachery Schubert on 14 November, then the Mol brothers, Markus & Adrian, of Norway on 16 November and wind up with another Norwegian pair of Hendrik Nikolai Mol & Mathias Berntsen on 17 November. Every rally will test their composure — but with experience and power on their side, the Dutch duo look ready for a deep run.
Joining them are Ruben Penninga and Matthew Immers, seeded 33rd and beginning their first season as a team. Both bring valuable experience — Immers having played at the Paris 2024 Olympics and in two previous World Championships. Penninga, 28, will be making his second World Championship appearance.
They reached the Round of 16 in their first international tournament as a pair—the 2025 European Championship—and will face a challenging group in Pool I that includes two strong USA pairs and one Australian duo.
Stefan Boermans in action during the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Elite16 stop in Brasilia.
Penninga & Immers will take on USA’s 16th seeds Miles Evans & Chase Budinger on 14 November, then USA’s 9th seeds Chaim Schalk & James Shaw on 15 November and Australia’s D’Artagnan Potts & Jack Pearse on 17 November.
Both men’s pairs will aim to progress deep into the knockout rounds, building on the Netherlands’ growing legacy in world beach volleyball.
Three women’s pairs will fly The Netherlands’ flag in Adelaide, each at different stages of their international journey. Emi van Driel and Wies Bekhuis (22nd seeds) have enjoyed a breakthrough 2025 season, highlighted by a semifinal appearance at the Elite16 in Brasilia and a Round of 16 finish at the European Championship. Both will be making their World Championship debuts.
They are placed in Pool C, opening their campaign against Brazil’s 27th seeds Vitoria De Souza Rodrigues & Hegeile Almeida dos Santos on 14 November before facing Nigeria’s Pamela Miyoum Bawa & Esther Onyinye Mbah on 16 Novemnber and USA’s third seeds Kristen Nuss & Taryn Brasher on 17 November.
Emi van Driel in action during the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Elite16 stop in Brasilia.
Another exciting new pair, Mila Konink and Desy Poiesz, come in as the 26th seeds. Konink, 20, and Poiesz, 22, are among the new generation of Dutch talents making their first senior World Championship appearances. Konink has already won silver in the 2025 Beach Pro Tour Challennge event in Baden alongside Raïsa Schoon with whom they also reached the quarterfinals of this year’s European Championship. Poiesz’s potential is underlined by her gold medal triumph at the 2023 Under 21 World Championship with Brecht Piersma.
In Adelaide, Konink/Poiesz are drawn in Pool B and will face Ukraine’s 23rd seeds Valentyna Davidova /Anhelina Khmil on 14 November, Brazil’s second seeds Carolina Solberg Salgado & Rebecca Cavalcante Barbosa Silva on 15 November and Egypt’s Marwa Abdelhady & Nada Hamdy on 17 November.
Completing the women’s lineup are the seasoned campaigners Katja Stam and Raïsa Schoon, 34th seeds but proven on the global stage. Since pairing in 2020, they’ve amassed a European silver (2021), European bronze (2022), and a World Championship quarterfinal in 2023. After competing in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, they enter the competition as one of the Netherlands’ most seasoned and successful partnerships.
Katja Stam and Raïsa Schoon are the Netherlands’ most experienced women’s pair in Adelaide.
In Pool J, they’ll face France’s Clémence Vieira & Aline Chamereau on 15 November, Canada’s 10th seeds Melissa Humana-Paredes & Brandie Wilkerson on 16 November and Morocco’s Mahassine Siad & Dina Mellal on 17 November.
For Netherlands, the 2025 World Championships represents a platform to showcase their steady progress under Volleyball Empowerment and an opportunity for their players to continue their development. The support from FIVB Volleyball Empowerment has strengthened their beach volleyball structures and enabled both senior and emerging athletes to compete at the highest level. With experience, youth, and momentum on their side, the Orange contingent is ready to shine and make a statement in Adelaide.
