Beach Tennis players from around the world will gather on the beaches of Maserias, São Sebastião next month for the 2023 ITF Beach Tennis World Cup, the flagship team competition on the ITF Beach Tennis World Tour.

Italy will look to defend their title and take a sixth World Cup crown with a formidable line-up of six top 10-ranked players, headlined by respective world No. 1s Giulia Gasparri (ITA) and Mattia Spoto (ITA).

Between them, Gasparri and Spoto have won a total of 14 titles this year, including a maiden World Championship for Spoto, and four Sand Series titles for Gasparri - two of those alongside teammate Sofia Cimatti (ITA).

Cimatti won the decisive mixed doubles match alongside Michele Cappelletti (ITA) to clinch the World Cup last year against Brazil.

The hosts will look to exact revenge this year and reclaim their title, after winning the 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2021 editions. André Baran (BRA) and Allan Oliveira (BRA) return to the team along with newcomer Daniel Mola (BRA), a two-time winner on the Beach Tennis World Tour this year.

Captain Alex Mingozzi has also called upon Rafaella Miiller (BRA) and Vitoria Marchezini (BRA), who defeated the Italians Gasparri and Ninny Valentini in the first match of last year’s final in one of the matches of the year, sending the Praia da Copacabana into a frenzy.

Joining them is World Cup debutant Sophia Chow (BRA), who has just won consecutive titles at the inaugural Sand Series Valinhos, the BT400 Copacabana and the Pan American Championships, entering the World Cup in the best form of her career.

France will also enter the World Cup high on confidence, with Nicolas Gianotti (FRA) and Mathieu Guegano (FRA) claiming double gold at the Mediterranean Beach Games and the European Beach Tennis Championships. Marie-Eve Hoarau (FRA) and Mathilde Hoarau (FRA) are also no strangers to upsets, having scored a shock win over Gasparri and Cimatti at the Games and finishing with a silver medal.

Spain’s participation will be headlined by Antomi Ramos (ESP), a seven-time winner on the Tour this year including at the Sand Series Réunion Classic in March and the Sand Series Valinhos.

Joining him will be his regular team partner Gerard Rodriguez (ESP). They claimed silver at the Mediterranean Beach Games as did compatriots Eva Fernandez Palos (ESP) and Ariadna Costa Graell (ESP), the latter of whom made a storming run to the World Championship final earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the Juniors will see some of the brightest young stars showcase their talents on the biggest stage. Italy will be looking to defend their title, with Venezuela eager to reverse last year’s final result.

Brazil’s Junior team suffered an agonising defeat to Italy in last year’s Junior group stages, culminating in a 13-11 match tie-break thriller in the boys’ match which went the way of the Italians. Captain Marcus Ferreira and his team will be eager to right that wrong and see the home nation into the knockout stages again this year.

The Beach Tennis World Cup (formerly known as the Beach Tennis World Team Championship) is a mixed competition in which 16 nations compete against each other as a team,  comprising of two men and two women with ties consisting of a men’s doubles, women’s doubles, and a mixed doubles match. The draw takes place on Monday 4 December with action underway from 9am local time (12pm GMT). English commentary will be available from the quarter-finals on the ITF YouTube channel.

The full list of entered nations and their nominations can be found here and the Junior entries here.