As the countdown begins to the 2025 FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships, Mozambique is preparing to take a bold step onto the global stage. The competition will be held across The Drive and Pinky Flat/Tarntanya Wama, in the heart of Adelaide, Australia where the Southern African nation will be represented by both men’s and women’s teams.
Mozambique’s quest for an appearance at the Olympic Games has always been a case of so close yet so far. Twice, they’ve come close to qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 editions, but fell short at the last hurdle of the African beach volleyball Olympics qualifiers.
The Southern African nation will once again feature in a World Championship but will enter this year’s edition, set for 14–23 November in Adelaide, with renewed vision for the sport’s future.
Head coach Han Abbing will be looking to succeed where his predecessor, Brazilian Alexandre Pontel failed by qualifying Mozambique to the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028. The Dutch coach is in charge of both Mozambique’s senior men and women national teams under the Volleyball Empowerment programme in a two-year Coach Support project worth 336,000 USD.
Abbing has made a raft of changes in the national team with regulars such as Ainadino Martinho, Jorge Monjane and Ana Sinaportar paving way for new faces. In Adelaide, Mozambique’s women’s team will consist of Vanessa Muianga and Mércia Mucheza, who will be teaming up for the first time in a senior World Championship.
Mozambique coach Han Abbing has paired Vanessa Muianga (left) with Mércia Mucheza for the World Championship
For Muianga, 30, this will be her fourth World Championship appearance, having previously featured in the 2017, 2022, and 2023 editions. She brings valuable experience and leadership to the team. Her partner, Mucheza, is stepping into her first senior World Championship at 25 years, following earlier international appearances at the U21 World Championship (2019) and U19 World Championship (2018).
The pair have been drawn in Pool D, where they will face off with Terese Cannon and Megan Kraft of USA on 14 November, then Sandra Ittlinger and Anna-Lena Grüne of Germany on 16 November and complete their pool play against Lézana Placette and Alexia Richard of France on 17 November.
Vanessa Muianga will be playing in her fourth World Championship in Adelaide
In the men’s competition, José Alberto Mondlane and Osvaldo Mungoi, both 26 years old, will be making their senior World Championship debuts. The duo previously represented Mozambique in separate Under-21 World Championships, and Adelaide marks their graduation to the highest level of international beach volleyball.
They have been placed in Pool K, and will start their campaign against the Capogrosso brothers, Tomas and Nicolás, of Argentina on 15 November, then Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler of Germany on 16 November and conclude with Samuel Schachter and Jonathan Pickett of Canada on 17 November.
José Alberto Mondlane and Osvaldo Mungoi will be making their senior World Championship debuts in Adelaide
In each gender, the 48 participating teams are split into 12 single round-robin pools of four. The pool winners, the pool runners-up and the best four of the third-placed advance straight to the sixteenthfinals. The remaining eight third-placed teams in the pools advance to the first knockout round, dubbed “the lucky loser round”. The single elimination phase starts with the four matches of “the lucky loser round” and the four winning teams advance to the sixteenthfinals.
Abbing recently guided Mozambique’s women’s team of Vanessa & Mucheza to silver medal in the CAVB Beach Volleyball Championships held in Morocco in June while the men’s team of Mondlane & Mungoi settled for bronze. The two teams also warmed up for the World Championship by taking part in the Beach Pro Tour Elite16 stop held in Cape Town, South Africa from 22-26 October but didn’t go past the preliminary round.
However, for Mozambique, this year’s World Championship is not just about results but building a legacy. The experience gained in Adelaide will form a foundation of the nation’s long-term preparation for the Olympic Games Los Angeles 2028 and future African competitions.
With a clear development structure, dedicated support from the Volleyball Empowerment Programme, and a growing domestic passion for the sport, Mozambique is on course to write a new chapter in its beach volleyball history.
