The 31st edition of the Costa Blanca Cup kicks off in Benidorm with more teams and more international competition than ever

Julio Iglesias Auditorium in Parque de l'Aigüera hosted the opening ceremony of the 31st edition of the Costa Blanca Cup last night, one of the premier youth football tournaments, which will feature more teams from more countries than ever before. Music, fireworks, and, above all, the enthusiasm and good atmosphere among the players were the stars of the ceremony, which began with a parade of all the participating teams from Bilbao Street and culminated in a packed Julio Iglesias stadium.

The mayor of the city, Toni Pérez, presided over the opening ceremony alongside the Councillor for Sports, Javier Jordá; the director of the CBC and manager of Tour-Sport, Fernando Brotons; and several council members from the municipal council. Among them was the regional deputy José Ramón González de Zárate.

After the presentation of all the participating teams and a brief musical and acrobatic performance, the mayor addressed all the young athletes and coaches who will be competing during these days. He emphasised that the city "maintains its collaboration and involvement with this competition year after year" and hoped that "these days you are going to spend with us will be an unforgettable experience, both sportingly and personally." In this regard, he assured that Benidorm "will put all its effort and dedication into making this happen."

The mayor emphasised that the Costa Blanca Cup is "a national and international benchmark" not only because of its participation numbers, but also because it is synonymous with camaraderie and integration; respect and tolerance, on and off the field." Therefore, he congratulated the organizers for making the city the epicenter of national and international grassroots football during these days and wished the young participants "unique" days of socializing around sport and enjoying the city.

Following the ceremonial kick-off by the mayor, the launch of a large fireworks display brought the ceremony to a close.

Information about the Tournament

Following last week's Costa Blanca Cup futsal tournament, the grassroots competition takes over this week, taking place from July 6 to 12. Around 3,500 young people of various ages will participate in the competition, including men's, women's, and inclusive football categories. Over six days, around 600 matches will be played across the seven venues hosted by the organisation, pitting a total of 208 teams from 19 countries against each other. Of these, 51 are local teams, 80 are national teams, and 77 are international teams.

During the presentation of this edition, Fernando Brotons presented some of the key data from the Economic Impact Study for the 2024 edition, prepared by the University of Valencia. It estimates direct spending in the destination at €1.8 million and its economic impact at around €10 million, with €5.6 million in revenue, the equivalent of creating 113 jobs annually. Or, to put it another way, for every euro invested in organising the event, €19.10 was generated in the Valencian economy, according to the Tour-Sport manager.

The study also estimates the average spending of participating athletes at €685 and that of each of their companions at €725.50, with an average stay of 6.65 and 6 days, respectively.