The official presentation of the tournament, which will bring together teams of significant national and international projection, was attended by the Mayor of Castalla, Jesús López; the Councilor for Sports, José Miguel Payá; the Director of Motion Cup Castalla, Miguel Ángel Gandía; and the Tournament's Community Manager, Yamandú Benítez Soria. They detailed the main sporting, organizational, and promotional aspects of the event.
The Motion Cup Castalla 2026 is aimed at players born in 2017 or later, in the first-year Benjamin category. The championship will feature 28 teams, divided into seven groups. After an initial league phase, teams will compete in various final stages. Among the confirmed clubs are renowned entities such as FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid, Valencia CF, Villarreal CF, Elche CF, Real Betis, FC Porto, Paris Saint-Germain, Paris FC, as well as Castalla CF, Elda Unión CF, UD Onil, Alboraya UD, Gandia CF, Costa City, CF Cracks, and EF Torre Pacheco.
Mayor Jesús López highlighted that "the celebration of the Motion Cup represents a magnificent opportunity to continue projecting Castalla through sport, community, and family tourism." He added that "for three days, we will welcome players, families, clubs, and visitors who can enjoy our facilities, our environment, and the hospitality of our municipality".
For his part, the Councilor for Sports, José Miguel Payá, expressed Castalla's satisfaction in hosting a tournament of this caliber, which combines grassroots sports, community spirit, and significant projection for municipal facilities. Payá emphasized that "the Motion Cup Castalla 2026 will allow us to enjoy formative football with top-level clubs for three days, while reinforcing Castalla's role as a municipality committed to sports and the organization of events that generate activity and atmosphere in our town".
The Municipal Stadium of Castalla will serve as the main venue, while the Municipal Stadium of Onil will act as a secondary venue. The organization has prepared a logistical plan to ensure the smooth running of matches, mobility between facilities, and care for the participating teams.
Jesús López also stressed that “these types of events reinforce Castalla's role as an active, open municipality prepared to host top-level sporting events”. He added that “the Motion Cup is not just a competition, but an experience for the participating children, their families, and all youth football fans”.
The group stage will commence on Friday, June 12, in the afternoon and continue throughout Saturday. After the league phase, the top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams will advance to the final stage, while the remaining teams will compete in the silver final stages. The grand final is scheduled for Sunday, June 14, at Field 1 in Castalla.
In addition to the sporting competition, the tournament will feature complementary activities for teams and families, including the Motion Party, scheduled for Friday, June 12, at 8 PM at the Castalla stadium. There will also be a Fan Zone, bar service, a water and fruit area for teams, match broadcasts, and tournament tracking via the official Motion Cup app.
The Castalla City Council has highlighted the collaboration between the organization, participating clubs, sponsors, and involved entities to make possible an event that combines sport, tourism promotion, and local economic development.
