In their first match of the tournament, the team, led by Mykola Kostenko, faced Norway, which is not considered a leader in European beach soccer (ranked 50th in the BSWW world rankings).

Despite this, the Ukrainians approached the match with full seriousness. They opened the scoring just 20 seconds into the first period with a goal from Andriy Pashko. In the 4th minute, Oleg Sirenko skillfully lobbed the Norwegian goalkeeper to double the lead for our team. Just a minute later, Ihor Levchenko fired a powerful shot from the flank into the far corner of the opponent’s net, making it 3:0. Then came two spectacular goals. In the 9th minute, the Blue and Yellow team earned a free kick, and Ivan Hlutskyi scored in the top corner. Half a minute later, Oleg Zborovskyi showcased an impressive bicycle kick. It was only after this that the Scandinavians managed to score, but just a few seconds later, Ihor Levchenko netted his second goal, making it 6:1.

In the second 12-minute period, the Ukrainians seemed to ease off and were content with a goal from Oleg Zborovskyi in the 20th minute. The opponent responded with a sharp attack that ended with a precise strike from Li, making it 7:2.

In the third period, our goalkeeper Andriy Nerush scored with a long-distance shot. This goal was the final one of the match, resulting in an 8:2 victory for the Ukrainian team.

The next match in the qualifying tournament for the World Cup 2025 will be on October 7 against Poland.

World Cup 2025 Qualifiers. European Qualification. Group F

Ukraine – Norway – 8:2

Goals: Pashko (1), Sirenko (4), I. Levchenko (5, 10), Hlutskyi (9), Zborovskyi (10, 20), Nerush (29) – Hare (10), Li (22).

Ukraine: Nerush, Poslavskyi, Pazenko, Hlutskyi, M. Levchenko, A. Borsuk, Lystopad, I. Levchenko, Zborovskyi, Pashko, Sirenko, Ross.

Norway: Brekken, Aga, Haga, Gellebast, Li, Risanher, Paulos, Holand, Bidro, Hare, Li Pak, Kandal.

2025 Beach Soccer World Cup. European Qualifiers. Group Stage

Group A: Spain, Azerbaijan, England, Georgia.

Group B: Italy, Czechia, Denmark.

Group C: Portugal, Germany, Estonia, Kazakhstan.

Group D: Belarus, Moldova, Belgium.

Group E: Switzerland, France, Lithuania, Malta.

Group F: Ukraine, Poland, Norway.

The top 16 teams will advance to the Round of 16 – the top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams.

Winners of the Round of 16 will then form two new groups of four, with the top two teams from each group securing a spot in the World Cup. The final day of the qualifiers will feature placement matches to determine rankings.

The Round of 16, second group stage, and placement matches will be held from October 9 to 13.

The next Beach Soccer World Cup will take place in Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, on the island of Mahé, from May 1 to 11, 2025.