Bhubaneswar Challenge medalists shoot up the World Rankings

After the first high-level beach volleyball tournament of 2026 – the Bhubaneswar Challenge on the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour – is over, it is time to resume our regular FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking reports. As the charts received their weekly update on Monday, all medalists of the event in India showed remarkable gains in their positions.

FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking – Men

Israel’s Eylon Elazar & Kevin Cuzmiciov, who earned the men’s bronze in Bhubaneswar, are the highest ranked team among all medalists of the event. For the first time along their beach volleyball journey as a team, they have reached the top 30 in the World Ranking. After making the podium in India, they climbed eight positions, from number 36 to number 28. Their previous best ranking was the 32^nd place they reached back in August.

Bhubaneswar champions Joppe Van Langendonck & Kyan Vercauteren of Belgium surged 15 positions and entered the top 50 in 47^th place, just one lower than their all-time high, number 46, which they reached twice during the summer.

It was the first tournament for silver medalists Jakub Sepka & Matyas Dzavoronok of Czechia as a pair and it placed them directly in position 180.

There are no changes in the top 10, with Norway’s Anders Mol & Christian Sorum continuing to reign as the world’s number one team, while two Swedish duos – Jacob Holting Nilsson & Elmer Andersson and reigning world and Olympic champions David Ahman & Jonatan Hellvig – jointly occupy second place.

FIVB Beach Volleyball World Ranking – Women

Women’s runners-up Asami Shiba & Reika Murakami of Japan also achieved a new high in the World Ranking. They made the top 40 for the first time, after ascending nine spots to number 36. The Japanese duo’s previous best ranking was the 41^st place they held for three weeks in September.

Bhubaneswar gold medalists Alexis Durish & Audrey Koenig of the United States, for whom it was the third podium in three Beach Pro Tour appearances, gained as many as 50 positions and are now in number 79. Their compatriots Sara Hughes & Allysa Batenhorst, who claimed bronze in India, are up in position 119 after two qualifying competitions.

The women’s top 10 also stayed intact for the time being, with Brazil’s Carol Solberg & Rebecca Cavalcanti and Thamela Coradello & Victoria Lopes, and USA’s Kristen Cruz (formerly Nuss) & Taryn Brasher in the first three positions.

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