Madrid once again becomes key stage for international Beach Volleyball
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The Beach Pro Tour Futures Madrid 2026 officially got underway Thursday at the Parque Deportivo Puerta de Hierro, marking the sixth consecutive year that the Spanish capital hosts a stage of the international Beach Volleyball circuit. The women’s tournament opened with the qualification phase and will run through Sunday, when the finals will bring the competition to a close.
Madrid once again becomes one of the central venues of the European Beach Volleyball calendar, hosting an event that continues to grow in prestige and international relevance. The tournament forms part of the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Futures circuit, a competition designed to showcase emerging talent from across the globe while also awarding valuable ranking points on the international circuit.
Ahead of the opening matches, several institutional representatives highlighted both the sporting and developmental importance of the event. Royal Spanish Volleyball Federation President Felipe Pascual underlined the significance of hosting international tournaments in Spain, particularly for the athletes themselves:
“For the federation this is very important, but for the athletes it is fundamental that Spain hosts one or several international events. We have a lot of young talent performing at a very high level. The objective for the future is to continue growing. We already have two teams that competed at the last Olympic Games.”
Alberto Tomé, Director General for Sports of the Community of Madrid, also addressed the media before the start of the competition, emphasising the rapid development of Beach Volleyball in the region and the strategic importance of the tournament for Madrid. “For Madrid, Volleyball, and especially Beach Volleyball, is one of the most important sports and one of the fastest growing in terms of licenses. We already have nearly one thousand Beach Volleyball licensees,” he stated.
Tomé also praised the facilities at Puerta de Hierro, describing them as among the best in Europe, and stressed the importance of continued investment in the discipline. “These facilities are the envy of all Europe. We have to continue supporting this sport and this tournament in particular.” Looking ahead, he highlighted the role of Futures tournaments in the development of elite athletes. “The most important players in the world will emerge from events like this.”
The competition format features a 16-team Main Draw. Twelve pairs entered directly based on their international ranking points, while the remaining four spots were decided during Thursday’s qualification rounds. Among the teams competing in qualification were two Spanish pairs, Páez/Andreu and Ceballos/Aslan. Although both were eliminated in the opening round, they produced competitive performances against strong international opposition. Ceballos/Aslan lost in straight sets to the Czech pair Frommova/Tonova, while Páez/Andreu pushed Israel’s Gonzalez and Danenberg in a tightly contested opening set before eventually falling in two sets.
The four pairs advancing to the Main Draw were Switzerland’s Eugster/Gähwiler, the American duo Nobles/Stowell, Czech pair Frommova/Tonova, and Denmark’s Windeleff/Mellmølle.
The Main Draw begins Friday, with the rest of the Spanish pairs entering the competition across the four pools. Tania Moreno and Sofia Izuzquiza will open the day at 9:30 against the qualified Swiss pair, while Vergara/González, Carro/Paula and Florian/Serrano will also make their tournament debuts throughout the morning.