The Spain national beach soccer team beat defending champions Italy 5–2 on 13 September 2026 to claim the Euro Beach Soccer League Superfinal. The win, sealed on Italian sand at Viareggio’s Matteo Valenti Stadium, ended a wait of 20 years for a European title.
A third-period surge on enemy sand
Spain struck with their first attack. Jose Oliver’s precise diagonal shot found the far corner. Josep Jr levelled before the first break, and a Bertacca penalty early in the second period put Italy ahead.
Ramy equalised before the decisive third period began locked at 2–2. Then Brian produced a spectacular scissor kick from an almost impossible angle, restoring Spain’s lead with under six minutes left. Moments later Ramy struck again with another acrobatic finish.
Acrobatics that broke a finals streak
Italy deployed Josep as a flying goalkeeper for a final gamble. Instead, Oliver scored his second into the empty net to complete the scoring. Spain’s unanswered 3–0 third period overwhelmed a side appearing in its fourth consecutive European final.
The result left the host nation with two silver medals. Spain’s women’s team also beat Italy the same weekend to secure their own continental crown.
A sixth crown after two decades
Spain’s previous Euro Beach Soccer League title arrived in 2006. The 2026 triumph is the programme’s sixth league championship, adding to trophies won in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003 and 2006.
Italy’s Head of Delegation Ferdinando Arcopinto told reporters afterwards, “The men’s team reached a fourth consecutive European final, which is an achievement that should not be taken for granted. Today, though, we probably did not manage to show our true level in the final.”
A championship drought that stretched back to beach soccer’s earlier era closed with a burst of acrobatic goals inside the champions’ own arena.
