From 10 to 12 July, Praia dos Pescadores in Albufeira hosted another outstanding celebration of international footvolley with the Footvolley World Tour Albufeira 2026, an event organized by the Portuguese National Footvolley Federation (FNFV) in partnership with TAFC International, with the support of the Municipality of Albufeira, as part of the official programme of Albufeira – European City of Sport 2026.
Over three days of competition, Albufeira welcomed some of the world's top footvolley athletes, further confirming Portugal's growing importance on the international stage. The 2026 edition featured a total prize pool of €11,000, reinforcing the tournament's attractiveness and bringing together elite-level players from around the world.
Athletes representing Portugal, Albania, Germany, Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Spain, Israel, Italy and the United Kingdom competed in Albufeira, delivering an outstanding sporting spectacle in front of thousands of spectators who filled the beach stadium throughout the event.
Qualifying tournament opened the competition
The event began on Friday, 10 July, with the Men's Qualifying Tournament, featuring eight teams. A total of 14 matches were played between 2:00 pm and 7:00 pm, with five teams earning qualification for the main draw.
A weekend of world-class competition
The Men's Main Draw and the Women's Open took place on 11 and 12 July, both played under a double-elimination format.
The men's competition featured 16 teams, including two Brazilian pairs ranked among the world's elite, as well as Portugal's two-time national champions. Saturday saw 24 matches played on the main court, while Sunday featured the decisive stages of the tournament, culminating in a spectacular final.
The Women's Open brought together nine teams, whose highly competitive matches from the opening rounds through to the final highlighted the continued growth and quality of women's footvolley on the international circuit.
Final Standings
Men's Competition
1st Sandrey / Michel (Brazil 1)
2nd Índio / Felipe (Brazil 2)
3rd Fede Iacopucci / Ludovico Alonzi (Italy)
4th Juan Silva / Rodrigo Otero (Portugal 1)
Women's Open
1st Antonia Missethan / Julia Sauer-Rauch (Austria)
2nd Yosy Silva / Sara Cupellini (Spain)
3rd Illy Levy / Marjorie Finguermann (Israel)
4th Anna Mendes / Isabella Fernando (Brazil 1)
Outstanding atmosphere and international exposure
Throughout the three-day event, spectators responded with tremendous enthusiasm, filling the beach arena each day and creating a vibrant atmosphere with continuous entertainment and engaging interaction between athletes and fans.
The tournament was broadcast live via the @futevolei_tv and @lbfutevolei YouTube channels, as well as on A Bola TV, allowing thousands of footvolley fans in Portugal and abroad to follow all the action.
Awards Ceremony
The official awards ceremony was attended by Carlos Coimbra, representing the Portuguese National Footvolley Federation (FNFV), Cristina Corado, Councillor of the Municipality of Albufeira, Rogério Pinto, Regional Director of the Portuguese Institute for Sport and Youth (IPDJ), Sahar Ben Hamo and Ron Samuel, representing TAFC International, Dyego Sousa, Portuguese international athlete and SL Benfica player, and Anderson Águia, President of the Brazilian Footvolley League and representative of TAFC International.
Another milestone for the development of footvolley in Portugal
The outstanding organizational standards, the high level of competition, the enthusiastic public attendance and the extensive media coverage once again demonstrated the sustained growth of footvolley in Portugal and reinforced the Portuguese National Footvolley Federation's ability to successfully organize international events of the highest level.
The FNFV extends its sincere thanks to all athletes, coaches, referees, volunteers, institutional partners, sponsors and spectators whose commitment and support contributed to the success of the Footvolley World Tour Albufeira 2026—another landmark event in the continued international development of Portuguese footvolley.
