Young footballers from 34 countries and 319 teams are set to compete in this year’s Costa Blanca Cup 2026, a sporting event today, Wednesday 1st to 11th July. Once again, the event will feature two separate youth development competitions: the international football tournament and the futsal tournament. This was announced yesterday, Tuesday by Tour-Sport Promociones Deportivas, the organiser of the competition, which has broken participation records yet again. With 32 editions now completed, it has consolidated its position as the most important grassroots international football event in the country.
The key details of the tournament were shared by the manager of Tour-Sport, Fernando Brotons, and the Councillor for Sports at Benidorm Town Hall, Javier Jordá, during a meeting in El Castell square, which was also attended by other representatives of the organisation and the local council. Benidorm will serve as the main host town for the tournament, which also has matches scheduled in other municipalities across both Marina districts, including Villajoyosa, Altea, l’Alfàs del Pi, La Nucía, Finestrat and Calpe.
The event will kick off with the futsal competition, which runs from 1st to 5th July and is celebrating its 21st edition. A total of 113 teams representing 9 nationalities will compete. Notably, the number of teams from countries outside of Spain exceeds the number of domestic squads, with 57 foreign teams compared to 56 national ones. Among the international sides, 17 are arriving from France, 10 from Australia, and 9 from Venezuela. There will also be representation from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England and Ireland.
Almost as the futsal finals are taking place, the opening stages of the football tournament will begin, with teams arriving on 5th July and competing until the finals on 11th July. The numbers for the football category are much higher, with 25 countries represented in this edition of the Costa Blanca Cup and 206 teams in contention.
For the first time, foreign teams will outnumber Spanish ones by a notable margin, with 117 international squads compared to 89 from Spain. Brazil has a massive presence with a total of 20 teams, whilst the United States will feature 23 squads. Alongside Spain, Brazil and the USA, there will also be teams from Algeria, Canada, Chile, United Arab Emirates, France, England, Northern Ireland, Iceland, Morocco, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay.
Amongst the flags represented in the football tournament is that of Uganda. Tour-Sport Promociones Deportivas and The Boys’ Mentorship Programme Africa have joined forces once again to allow a group of disadvantaged children and orphans to attend. The NGO educates these children in values and assists them in various life and educational scenarios, including participating in this European tournament to enjoy a few days of football through friendly matches and shared experiences with children from different cultures.
Organisers highlighted that the Costa Blanca Cup is built upon four major pillars that guarantee an unforgettable experience for participants: the purely sporting aspect, the international character, the promotion of sports tourism, and the experiential essence itself. They stated that these pillars will be fully met this year, improving upon the previous edition.
Javier Jordá welcomed the Costa Blanca Cup back to the city for another year and thanked Tour-Sport for continuing to choose Benidorm for the tournament. The Councillor for Sports remarked that the town is, as always, eagerly awaiting the arrival of thousands of youngsters, coaching staff, and families who will stay in and experience Benidorm. He noted that they will share days of companionship and meet boys and girls from all over the world thanks to a tournament where only one language is spoken: football.
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