Beach U18 World Championships 2026

Germany’s Anna-Chiara Reformat & Sandra Otte triumph as U18 world champions!

Brazil’s Leticia Schwalb Machado & Kiara Vitoria Ernesto Jeronimo and Netherlands’ Jara Both & Matilda de Groot complete the podium in the Hague

Published 04:46, 12 Jul 2026

Leticia/Kiara (BRA) vs Reformat/Otte (GER) - Final 1st Place #113648124

Germany’s Anna-Chiara Reformat & Sandra Otte completed their victorious march through the 2026 FIVB Beach Volleyball U18 World Championship in the Hague on top of the podium. After a streak of seven wins in a row and only a single set dropped along the way, the fourth-seeded Germans triumphed as U18 world champions in the Netherlands. They brought Germany the country’s fourth title and overall 11^th medal in the women’s tournament’s history. A German team, however, has not been on the podium since 2014.

Watch the 2026 FIVB U18 Beach Volleyball World Championships on the Beach Volleyball World YouTube channel

Leticia Schwalb Machado and 16-year-old Kiara Vitoria Ernesto Jeronimo claimed silver, Brazil’s seventh medal in the competition and first since Eduarda Santos Lisboa (Duda) & Victoria Tosta topped the podium in 2016.

Dutch home favorites Jara Both & Matilda de Groot capitalized on the home-sand advantage to snatch the bronze and represent the Netherlands on the podium.

Leticia/Kiara (BRA) vs Reformat/Otte (GER) - Final 1st Place #113663375

The U18 World Championship podium

In the gold medal match on Sunday afternoon, Reformat & Otte produced a hard-fought 2-0 (21-19, 21-18) victory over Leticia & Kiara. For the most part of the first set, the Germans maintained a small lead. Eventually, Otte brought in set point with a block-out shot and converted it with a one-handed kill block. Reformat & Otte opened a sizeable gap before their 10^th point in the second set and maintained it almost through the end, when the Brazilians rallied to get back to within one at 19-18. Staying attentive at the net, Otte scored the next two points with clever off-system tips that found the empty spots on the Brazilian side of the court.

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“I am so happy! I am so proud of us! I have no words – I am so, so happy!” an elated Reformat told the FIVB after the final.

“I can’t really believe that this happened. I am so happy and so proud!” Otte echoed. “I was really nervous before the game, but I think we managed it very well. There was big pressure, but we did it!”

Both & De Groot delighted the Dutch fans with a 2-0 (21-19, 21-13) sweep of the third-place match against China’s Qi Siyu & Zhuang Ming that earned them the bronze. It was the first World Championship medal for them, after Both stopped just short of the podium in Qatar last year, where she and Esmee Radstake finished in fourth place. It was also the fourth medal for the Netherlands in the history of the competition, and first since 2008.

The semifinals of the U18 World Championship were played earlier on Sunday morning. In the first one, Leticia & Kiara disappointed the home crowd in the center court stands with a 2-0 (21-15, 21-19) shutout of Both & De Groot. Then, Reformat & Otte and Qi & Zhuang engaged in a three-set battle, which ended 2-1 (21-16, 15-21, 15-8) the Germans’ way.