Lloret de Mar hosted the third edition of the AFIA World Cup Catalunya from 5 to 10 September. The masters football tournament brought together 900 people, including athletes, coaching staff, companions and staff. These participants came from various Brazilian states: São Paulo, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondônia, Manaus, Rio de Janeiro and the Federal District, as well as a team from Germany and another from the United States.
The AFIA Cup was played in four categories: the ‘Silver’, for over-45s; the ‘Gold’, for over-50s; the ‘Platinum’, for over-55s; and the ‘Diamond’, the competition for the most veteran players, for over-60s. In total, 33 matches were played, with the football pitch at the Lloret de Mar Athletics Track serving as the venue. The competition concluded on 10 September with the finals and the closing ceremony, followed in the evening by the Champions’ Party at the Teatre de Lloret, which brought together the participating delegations to mark the end of the event.
AFIA is an organisation specialising in international amateur football events and tournaments for players aged between 45 and 70. In recent years, it has become a leading association worldwide. The Councillor for Tourism, Cristina Aymerich, highlights that “once again, the AFIA Cup has delivered a very positive outcome, both in terms of the type of participants and the international dimension of the event. The continuity of the competition in Lloret de Mar highlights the destination’s ability to host and retain international sporting events of this nature. Furthermore, I would like to highlight its organisational professionalism; it is the most important masters’ football association internationally.”
AFIA began its activities in 1989 and is currently present in 10 countries and 150 cities across America and Europe, organising more than 100 national and international events. Currently, AFIA has more than 400 accredited teams worldwide and, since its foundation, around 100,000
people have taken part in its events. The 2026 Catalunya edition was the 101st event, the seventh to be held in Spain and the third in Catalunya, following the 2022 and 2024 editions in Lloret.
Lloret de Mar has been certified as a Sports Tourism Destination by the Catalan Tourist Board since 2006. In 2025, the destination welcomed 101,625 people linked to sports tourism and hosted 494 activities, including sports camps, private tournaments, official competitions and other events.
