If you wish to publicise a sporting event, please contact our sports editor David Lugg: david.lugg@tomorrowalgarve.com
Cricket
Portugal has finished third in Group A of the European Cricket Championship. Despite victories against France and eventual group winners Scotland, a defeat to Ireland saw them miss out on qualification for the ‘finals’ competition (main photo).
Motorsport
The future of MotoGP in the Algarve has been secured for the next two seasons. Following some concerns that Portugal’s most prestigious motorsport race would be dropped from the calendar, Jaime Costa, CEO of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, announced that “It’s a great source of pride to be able to continue having a MotoGP [in the region]. It is recognition of our effort and work that has been going on since 2020.” Secretary of State for Tourism Pedro Machado echoed the announcement stating that the event would have a “significant economic impact on the regional economy”.
Handball
After two consecutive losses, Clube Gil Eanes has returned to winning ways to move up to sixth position in the 1st Division women’s championship. The Lagos side needs to finish in the top four to progress to the playoffs but face stern competition in the likes of Benfica and Braga.
Roller skating
Roller Lagos Clube de Patinagem are the national runners-up in both the men’s and women’s competitions. After the third and final leg in Madeira, the Algarve club held their nerve to finish in second place on the podium in an event that featured 15 clubs and 144 skaters.
Algarve Football
After a terrible start to their Primeira Liga season, Farense have parted ways with their manager José Mota. His replacement Tozé Marreco has made an immediate impact picking up a draw and a win in his first two games. The side from Faro remain bottom of the league with four points but are now only two points from safety with eight games played.
Basketball
Imortal women’s basketball team has begun their season with a home loss and an away win. The Albufeira-based side have set their sights for the year on a mid-table finish. Both the men’s and women’s sides play in the top division of Portuguese national basketball. The men’s team begin their campaign in late October with a home match against Benfica.
Netball
Netball in the region continues to go from strength to strength. The recently-formed Netball Portugal has expanded to accommodate a new board of directors with Sheba Karamat and Daniel Norton taking up their respective roles of president and vice-president. There are now 150 players in the Algarve and the numbers are increasing. Netball Portugal is currently recruiting for various positions, including coaches, umpires and, of course, players.
Contact Margaret at info@netballportugal.com if you are interested in joining the netball community.
Rugby
The Portuguese rugby union have announced a historic one-off test match against Ireland in July 2025. The game will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Ireland, who are currently the world number one ranked team, are likely to be playing the match in the Algarve, though a specific date and venue has yet to be officially confirmed. Meanwhile, Portugal kick off their winter campaign on 16 November with a match against Scotland at Murrayfield. The sides have only met twice before with their last encounter taking place in 2007.
Beach soccer
Portugal has qualified for the men’s 2025 Beach Soccer World Cup. In last month’s European qualifying tournament in Cadiz, they demolished France 7-1 before beating archrivals Spain 9-6 in a thrilling match. The result sees the team consolidate their position of number three in the world rankings. The women’s team is currently ranked number two in the world.
