Beach Volleyball World Championships Adelaide 2025 - News

Hölting Nilsson/Andersson, E (SWE) vs. Rotar/Gauthier-Rat (FRA) - Semifinals #73313182

Andersson and Hölting Nilsson made it to the final with six victories in seven matches and only two sets dropped

Jacob Hölting Nilsson and Elmer Andersson made history on Saturday, in their first appearance at the FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championship, becoming the youngest team ever to earn the right to play for the tournament's gold medals.

Aged 20 and 19 respectively, they delivered a dominant performance to triumph in the first semifinal of the men's tournament of the 2025 edition of the event, taking down French Téo Rotar and Arnaud Gauthier-Rat 2-0 (21-18, 21-17) in Adelaide, Australia.

Hölting Nilsson/Andersson, E vs. Rotar/Gauthier-Rat - Beach Volleyball - WC - Men - Match Highlights, 22/11/2025

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The Swedes will now need to wait a few more hours to find out who their opponents in the final will be, as their compatriots David Åhman and Jonatan Hellvig are set to meet Germans Nils Ehlers and Clemens Wickler in a rematch of last year's Prais Olympics gold medal match at 19:00 local time (8:30 UTC). The French will play for third place on Sunday, at 15:00 (4:30 UTC), and the final will begin at 19:00 (8:30 UTC).

FIVB Beach Volleyball World Championships: Match schedule & Results

Hölting Nilsson and Andersson's success in the biggest event of the sport in 2025 is just a reflection of the incredible season the young Swedes are having at the international level. One of the youngest duos to compete at the highest level of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour, they have been able to gradually raise their standards throughout the season, having won a Futures event in their home sand Malmö in June, triumphed in a Challenge tournament in Baden in August and taken gold at the Cape Town Elite last month.

"It's been a crazy season for us," Andersson reflected after the semifinal. "We played many Beach Pro Tour tournaments, and our main goal was to qualify for the World Championship. Coming here, everything was a bonus for us and we're just enjoying everything we do in Adelaide."

In the semifinals, the two had the opportunity to get back on the only team that managed to take sets from them in Australia - Rotar and Gauthier-Rat, in fact, defeated the Swedes in the tie-breaker in a Pool G match on Monday. Each of their six victories in the tournament was in straight sets.

Hölting Nilsson's excellent all-around performance made a difference for the Swedish team, as the 20-year-old registered 22 points, with 13 kills, six blocks and three aces. Andersson scored with ten kills and an ace, and also produced 12 digs.

By making it to the final, they guaranteed Sweden their second-ever World Championship medal, following up on the silver won by Åhman and Hellvig in 2023, and could give the country its first gold. If that happens, Swedish beach volleyball would experience a unique moment in history, having both the Olympic and the world champions on the men's side.

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