Bellos take on titans at the European Beach Championships

After a three-month injury layoff for Javier Bello, the English beach volleyball duo of Javier and Joaquín Bello made a confident return to international competition at the 2025 European Beach Volleyball Championships in Düsseldorf, Germany. Competing in their third edition of the prestigious tournament, the Bellos demonstrated both promise and resilience against some of Europe’s top opposition.

"It felt great to be back on the court together and we are really proud of another top 10 result at the Europeans after a significant break without competition", said Javier.

"We have all worked really hard to come back in the best shape possible for this event, so we’re just really happy that it paid off and that we were able to show our level."

ned their campaign in spectacular fashion, stunning the home favourites Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler with a straight-sets victory (21–19, 21–19) on centre court. The German pair, silver medallists at the Paris 2024 Olympics, were backed by a passionate home crowd, but the English duo held their nerve under pressure to deliver one of the biggest upsets of the group stage.

"We had a dream opening game against the Olympic silver medallists and home favourites. Playing in a full stadium again and performing to our best really boosted our confidence for the rest of the tournament".

Their second match came against the Dutch pairing of Stefan Boermans and Yorick de Groot, who ultimately proved too strong. Despite showing moments of resistance, the Bellos fell 0–2 (15–21, 14–21) to the in-form Dutchmen, who were riding high after a silver medal at the Beach Volley Nations Cup and a bronze at the Elite 16 in Gstaad, Switzerland.

In the Round of 24, the Bellos faced Swiss duo Marco Krattiger and Quentin Dillier in challenging weather conditions. The English pair remained composed throughout the three-set battle, showcasing grit and teamwork to come through 2–1 (21–17, 18–21, 15–12) and earn their spot in the last sixteen.

The Round of 16 saw them take on Austria’s Tim Berger and Maximilian Hammarberg, who had the advantage of extra rest after topping their pool. The Austrians started strongly, using their height and physicality to take the first set 21–17.

The Bellos responded admirably, levelling the match with a spirited second-set win. The teams had met previously at the Elite 16 in Hamburg, where Austria claimed a narrow 2–1 win in the qualifying round, and unfortunately for the English duo, history repeated itself. In a tense final set, the Austrians edged ahead 15–13, knocking the Bellos out of the competition in another match that could have gone either way.

While they narrowly missed out on a quarter-final berth, the Bello brothers leave Düsseldorf with plenty of positives. Javier’s return to the sand after a lengthy absence marks an important step in their season, and their performance will give them confidence as they prepare for next week’s Beach Pro Tour Challenge event in Baden, Austria.

"We are really grateful for all the amazing support from the fans here and all the messages from back home" said the brothers.

With a busy schedule ahead—including Elite 16 appearances in Canada and Hamburg, the Bellos have their sights firmly set on the World Championships in Australia later this year. If they continue building on their form, they’ll be well-positioned to challenge the world’s best.

Photos by Jon Cornish (@jcornishphoto)