Spain’s Carlos Flores delivered a stunning performance to take home the title at the first-ever FISTF Major hosted in Spain, capping off a weekend of high-level table football that firmly placed the Balearic event on the international map.
Flores (F.Lli Bari Reggio Emilia) was imperious from the group stages through to the final, where he defeated Italy’s Leonardo Giudice (Subbuteo Club Labronico) with a dominant 6–3 display. It marked a statement win in a new chapter for the island, which stepped up from Grand Prix to Major status in 2025.
After a fiercely contested group phase, the tournament moved into the barrage round, a do-or-die stage that gave players one last chance to reach the main draw. Ricardo José (POR/ FTC Issy-les-Moulineaux) advanced past Hervé Rakowski (FRA/Guebwiller Alsace Subbuteo Club) with a solid 3–1 performance, while Lucas Pere (BEL/Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer) stunned Christophe Monteiro (FRA/FTC Issy-les-Moulineaux) 4–1. In a tighter contest, Miguel Ángel López (ESP/Mallorca Águilas FM) edged out Francisco Cayuela (ESP/CAP Ciudad de Murcia FM) 2–1, showing nerves of steel to secure his spot. Antonio Fernández (BEL/Tiburones FM) also progressed after a dramatic 4–3 sudden-death win against Belgium’s Noah Janssens (ST Stembert).
The Round of 32 and Round of 16 saw many close-fought encounters, with top-ranked players comfortably advanced. Flores continued his winning streak with Giudice emerging as a key challenger.
In the Quarterfinals, the intensity increased as the best in the field clashed.
The Semifinals offered the clearest insight into the elite calibre of the event. Flores dispatched Malta’s Samuel Bartolo (Valletta SC) 1–0 in a tense and defensive match. On the other side of the draw, Giudice stunned world No. 2 Bessim Golger (BEL/Bormla SC) with a commanding 4–1 win — the biggest upset of the knockout phase.
In the final, the experience and consistency of Carlos Flores ultimately proved too strong. With clinical shooting and flawless possession control, Flores defeated Giudice 6–3, capping off a remarkable campaign and reaffirming his place at the top of the global table football hierarchy. Giudice, however, exits with his reputation enhanced, having shown that the gap to the summit is narrowing.
In the Veterans category, John Field (GIB/Tiburones FM) beat Juan Carlos Granados (ESP/CAP Ciudad de Murcia FM) 3-0. Jason Pisani (MLT/Bormla SC) and Gerardo Patruno (ITA/Bologna Tigers Subbuteo) were the semifinalists.
Charlotte Bouchez (BEL/SC Lion’s Eugies) took the women’s event beating Elodie Bertholet (BEL/Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer) 2-0, with Katharina Waldorf-Busch (AUT/Bormla SC) and Mélina Scheen (BEL/ST Stembert) the losing semifinalists.
The Under 20 category, Isaac Alfaro (ESP/Tiburones FM) beat Ruben Benita (ESP/AFT Turia 1981) 3-1, with Alex Iliev (ESP/AFT Turia 1981) and Cristian Atunez (ESP/Tiburones FM) the losing semifinalists.
Martí Rosa (ESP/AS Iluro FT) took the U16 event, beating Ruby Matthews (ENG/Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer) 5-3 in an enthralling final. Erick Moreira (ESP/Moralzarzal SCAD) and Manuel Baena (ESP/AC Los Remedios FM) were the losing semifinalists.
Julià Rosa (ESP/AS Iluro FT) took the U12 title, beating Antonio Antúnez (ESP/AC Los Remedios FM), with Alvaro Castellano Rodríguez (ESP/ AC Los Remedios FM) and Rafael García Corredera (ESP/AC Los Remedios FM) the losing semifinalists.
In the team event, the Maltese clubs faced off in the final:
| Bormla S.C. | Valletta SC | 0 | 3 |
| David Busch | Derek Conti | 2 | 2 |
| George Ebejer | Jurgen Balzan | 0 | 2 |
| Bessim Golger | Samuel Bartolo | 0 | 2 |
| Jason Pisani | Mark Gauci | 0 | 1 |
Wolverhampton TFC won the Plate event.
