Held on April 25th and 26th, 2026 in Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, the Golden Grand Prix attracted a high-caliber field across all categories.
In addition to a strong field of players, including world-class talent, the organising team delivered a vibrant event, full of camaraderie, generosity, hard work, and discipline! One place to be there next season, for sure !
The Open category had its share of surprises. Indeed, several very high-caliber players were eliminated in the round of 16 and quarterfinals. Among them were David Leroy (Rochefort TS/FRA), Matthias Averlant and Steffen Despretz (Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer/BEL), winner in Wrexham (WAL) and finalist in Vienna (AUT) respectively; Noah Janssens (ST Stembert/BEL), the new Belgian U20 champion; the surprising Hervé Rakowski (Guebwiller Alsace Subbuteo Club/FRA) and his Toccers, and one of the jewels of the French national team, Jean-Marie Amberny (BOSS/FRA).
The semi-finals featured two very close matches. Geoffrey Marain (Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer/BEL) prevailed 3-2 against Pascal Scheen (ST Stembert/BEL) after a tense duel that went to sudden death to determine the winner.
In the other match, a de facto final some might call it, Sérgio Loureiro, the Portuguese player from the Greek club TSC Falcons Athens, dominated Sébastien Scheen (ST Stembert/BEL), last winner in Vienna there are few weeks ago, in a match full of mutual respect, which saw the highest-ranked Portuguese player in the world (10th) emerge victorious with a score of 2-1. Efficiency is so important at the top level.
In the final, Loureiro delivered an impressive performance, winning convincingly 6-1 against Marain, confirming his offensive superiority.
Veterans: Daniel Scheen solid to the end
In the semi-finals, Daniel Scheen (ST Stembert/BEL) prevailed over Christophe Monteiro (BOSS/FRA), 6-2, while Olivier Pere (Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer/BEL) eliminated Xavier Dubois (FTC Caen/FRA) with a score of 2-1.
The final went to Scheen, who dominated Pere 2-0 and, after several lost finals this season, won the Golden Grand Prix.
In the most charming category, the semi-finals saw Lea Poupart (Celtic Combourg CFT/FRA) defeat Chloé Despretz (Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer/BEL) 3-1, while Mélina Scheen (ST Stembert/BEL) prevailed 1-0 against the talented and promising Charlotte Troestler (Mulhouse Subbuteo by ASPTT/FRA).
In the final, Scheen raised her game and defeated Poupart 3-1, confirming her dominance in the women’s category and her number one seed, earned thanks to her fourth-place world ranking.
In the U20 category, to ensure as many matches as possible for everyone, the U16 players were included. At the end of the first round, the best U20 players competed in the semi-finals, and Rafaël Midoux (Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer/BEL) dominated local player Simon Carmona (FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise/FRA), 4-0, while Benjamin Marain (Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer/BEL) also defeated a local player from FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, Orlan Martin (5-2).
During the final, Marain confirmed his rising form by beating his team mate Midoux 2-1 in a close match.
After the first round with the U20s, the three U16 players competed against each other, and after his victory in the playoff against Tristan Monchalin (FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise/FRA) 2-1, Théo Fromweiler (FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise/FRA) continued his winning streak and took the final 2-1 against Clément Bondi (Subbuteo Le Cannet Côte d’Azur/FRA), concluding a solid run.
In the U12 category, the semi-finals were closely contested: Nicola Blairvacq (Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer/BEL) defeated Charlotte Guyot (FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise/FRA) 2-0, while Paul Bernard, also from the host club, emerged victorious from a very tight match against his teammate Camille Carmona (FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise/FRA).
In the final, after a nail-biting finish, Nicola Blairvacq, who has only been playing for a few months, prevailed 1-0 against Paul Bernard in a hard-fought duel.
A consolation tournament was also organised for those eliminated from the Open.
After defeating Patrice Grangier (FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise/FRA) 3-0, international player and last women’s finalist at the Frameries Major, Irène Linquercq-Rivière (BOSS/FRA), qualified for the final, as did Lorenzo Lo Preti (Guebwiller Alsace Subbuteo Club/FRA), who defeated Laurent Meygret (FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise/FRA).
The final went to Linquercq-Rivière, who won 1-0.
On Sunday, was for the team event.
The top two seeds, ST Stembert and Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer, qualified directly for the semi-finals, while the third seed (BOSS/FRA) had to face the highly motivated host club, FTC Saint-Symphorien-sur-Coise, in this French derby. The French champions emerged victorious after a thrilling match that saw BOSS snatch victory in the final seconds against the valiant and likeable Pelauds.
The other playoff match pitted the Alsatian club of Guebwiller against the second team of Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer. The two teams had to be counted to separate the winners, as they finished with a 2-2 draw.
The semi-finals pitted the young Avenir Subbuteo Hennuyer B team against the number 1 seed and 5th-ranked team in the world, the overwhelming favorites for the day’s competition. The hierarchy was respected. In the other match, the Borinage’s flagship team won 1-0 against BOSS.
The all-Belgian final, thrilling, exciting, and full of surprises, saw David triumph over Goliath. Indeed, the youngsters from Avenir Subbuteo managed to overcome the Stembert powerhouse on goal difference. Proof that when the stars align and luck is on your side, anything is possible in table football!
In conclusion:
4 players from the world’s top 10 in their respective categories.
11 players from the world’s top 30.
185 individual matches.
23 team matches, for a total of 92 additional matches (277 matches in total).
15 clubs will be represented.
3 Belgian clubs
10 French clubs
1 Italian club
1 Greek club
…and the last but not least, a perfect weekend thanks to organisers who took excellent care of their guests.
You can find pictures of this event on https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057337192919