Spain arrives in Porto with a roster that reads less like a junior squad and more like a CUPRA FIP Tour starting lineup. On the women’s side, Maria Delgado enters fresh from claiming the FIP Bronze title in Bydgoszcz, Poland, then reaching last week’s final in Cordenons, Italy. Her teammate Paula Ferran brings four career FIP Tour titles, including last year’s breakthrough win in Portugal at the FIP Bronze Setúbal. Spain’s depth extends further: Martina Vera and Daniela Portilla already proved themselves as a championship pairing this season at the FIP Bronze Lanzarote.

The men’s draw follows the same pattern. Eighteen-year-old Coquito Zamora reached finals at both the FIP Silver Viseu e Tondela and FIP Silver Porto last year — in Portugal, no less — and appeared in the main draw of the 2025 Premier Padel P1 Malaga. Samu Rivas Garcia claimed his first CUPRA FIP Tour title in March at the FIP Bronze Helsingborg, while Aaron Garcia owns four career tour titles, one of which came at the FIP Bronze Matosinhos on Portuguese courts.

“Winning in the national team shirt to write a new chapter in their country’s history: that is the dream and the objective driving the next generation of men’s padel,” notes the FIP analysis.

But labeling Spain prohibitive favorites overlooks the structural advantages baked into Sweden’s program. Adam Axelsson, born in 2004 and currently partnered with Rodrigo Coello, won the FIP Bronze Miami in mid-May before reaching the round of 16 at Premier Padel P2 Valladolid. That progression from junior competition to elite-level results in weeks, not years, illustrates what the FIP calls Sweden’s demonstrated “ability to develop young talent and help players progress to the highest level.” The Swedish squad includes Gustav Berg, fresh off victory at the FIP Promises Kolding, alongside Eddi Svensson, Filip Sterner, Malte Lindh, and Filip Dahlqvist.

France positions itself as the dark horse through recent head-to-head success. Jeremy Robert and Olivier Guy De Chamisso captured their first CUPRA FIP Tour title at the FIP Bronze Marnes in late May by defeating Spain’s Rivas Garcia in the final — the same opponent they could face again in Portugal. The French roster also features Tyrone Pottier, who won three FIP Promises Tour events this year and will look to translate that momentum into team competition.

Host nation Portugal fields Maria Francisca Santos, who reached the round of 16 at both the FIP Silver San Antonio and FIP Silver Timisoara this year, demonstrating consistency beyond home soil. But the player drawing attention is Francisca Cravo, one of the season’s breakout performers. She’s collected four of her five 2026 FIP Promises Tour victories in Portugal — now she needs to prove the results translate to team pressure.

Italy, silver medalists at the 2024 Budapest edition, counters with Matilde Minelli, winner of last year’s FIP Bronze Manama and a semifinalist at both the FIP Bronze Montesilvano and Cordenons this season. The question isn’t whether Italy can medal — it’s whether they can close the gap on Spain’s firepower.

The tournament runs June 27 through July 4, and the gap between “promising junior” and “CUPRA FIP Tour regular” has never been thinner. Spain’s roster suggests they’re not building toward future success — they’re defending a title with players already winning professional tournaments. That’s the standard everyone else needs to match.

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