Weeks in Motion: Move Sports, International Events and the Growth of Sports Tourism in Portugal
Some periods in the calendar make the scale and diversity of sports tourism particularly visible.
For Move Sports, June and the beginning of July were exactly that: a concentrated period of international tournaments, sports tours, different age groups, different sports and teams travelling to Portugal from across the world.
From veteran basketball in the Algarve to youth basketball and volleyball in Lisbon, followed immediately by a senior football tournament, these weeks brought together athletes, coaches, families, staff, referees and supporters in a sequence of events that reflected both the operational capacity of Move Sports and the growing role of sport as a driver of travel to Portugal.
It was a demanding period, but also a meaningful one.
From Veteran Basketball in the Algarve to Youth Sport in Lisbon
The month began with the ESBA MaxiBasket Championship Algarve / Albufeira 2026, held in Albufeira from 13 to 21 June.
Co-organised by the European Seniors Basketball Association (ESBA) and Move Sports for the second time, the championship brought international veteran basketball to the Algarve, welcoming around 170 participants across 18 teams from nine countries.
The competition included men’s age categories 40–45 and 60–65, as well as women’s categories 45–50–60, showing the continued strength of veteran basketball and the desire among adult athletes to keep competing internationally.
Over the course of the event, the championship featured 32 games, representing around 56 hours of sport, supported by 15 referees and 15 staff members. Visiting teams also generated approximately 136 overnight stays in hotels in Albufeira.
But the ESBA MaxiBasket Championship was not only about the games. The event also had a strong social dimension, including an Opening Ceremony & Welcome Party on 14 June and a Social Event on 16 June. These moments are an essential part of veteran sport, where competition, friendship, travel and shared history naturally come together.
Just as the event in the Algarve was approaching its final days, attention was already shifting to Lisbon.
On 20 and 21 June, the Lisbon Basketball Youth Cup returned for its 6th edition, bringing international youth basketball to the capital. The tournament welcomed 305 participants, representing 18 teams from five countries, with competitions across U14 girls, U16 girls, U16 boys and U18 boys.
The visiting teams generated approximately 473 overnight stays in hotels and hostels in Lisbon. On the court, the tournament included 53 games, totalling around 50 hours of sport, with the support of 15 referees and 10 Move Sports staff members.
The Lisbon Basketball Youth Cup has a different rhythm from a veteran championship. It is built around young athletes, international exposure, the excitement of travelling with a team and the opportunity to compete against opponents from different countries. For many players, these tournaments become early reference points in their sporting development, not only because of the matches, but because of the wider experience of competing abroad.
Youth Volleyball and a Senior Football Weekend
The following weekend, on 27 and 28 June, Lisbon hosted the 3rd edition of the Portugal Volleyball Festival, an international youth volleyball tournament that was held across two venues.
The event brought together 214 participants, 29 teams and four countries, with international teams generating approximately 279 overnight stays in hotels and hostels in Lisbon.
Across the weekend, the tournament featured 85 games, representing around 87 hours of sport, with 20 referees and 15 Move Sports staff members involved in the operation.
With its own atmosphere and community, the Portugal Volleyball Festival continues to grow as part of Move Sports’ international tournament portfolio. Volleyball brings a particular energy to a venue: close team dynamics, strong bench involvement, continuous rhythm and a highly visible sense of collective effort. In a youth tournament setting, that energy becomes even more noticeable.
Only one week later, Lisbon was again at the centre of another international event.
On 4 and 5 July, the Portugal Summer Football Cup returned for its 5th edition, bringing senior football teams to the city for a weekend that combined competition with a strong social atmosphere.
The tournament welcomed 521 participants, 40 teams and 11 countries, divided across four categories: Men F7 Open, Women F7, Men F7 +35 and Men F11 Open.
The event generated approximately 879 overnight stays in hotels and hostels in Lisbon. On the pitch, it featured 114 games, played across seven fields in the same venue — six seven-a-side pitches and one eleven-a-side pitch — totalling around 76 hours of sport.
The operation involved 15 referees and 48 staff members, reflecting the scale and intensity of the event. Beyond the football itself, the tournament also included a celebration after the awards ceremony, with a sunset-style party and DJ set, reinforcing the event’s identity as a senior football tournament where competition and social experience are closely connected.
Sports Tours Alongside the Tournament Calendar
While these tournaments were taking place, Move Sports was also delivering separate sports tours in Portugal.
From 5 to 9 June, a rugby team from Wales travelled with a group of 51 people, generating 204 overnight stays. Later in the month, a football tour from the United Kingdom brought 35 people to Portugal, resulting in 140 overnight stays.
These tours are different from tournament participation, but they are part of the same wider ecosystem. Teams travel for sport, but their programmes also include logistics, accommodation, local services, activities and time spent discovering Portugal beyond the pitch.
Together, the four international tournaments and two sports tours generated movement across different regions, hotels, venues, suppliers and local services. They also showed how sports tourism is not limited to one format. It can be a veteran championship, a youth tournament, a senior football competition or a tailored tour built around training, matches and cultural experiences.
The Numbers Behind the Experience
Across these weeks, the scale of activity was significant.
The four tournaments alone brought together 105 teams, 1,210 participants, 284 games and approximately 269 hours of sport. They involved 65 referees and a lot of staff members across different venues, cities, formats and age groups.
Together with the rugby and football tours, the period represented more than 1,290 people involved and over 2,100 overnight stays generated in Portugal.
These figures matter because they show the practical impact of sports tourism. Every team that travels contributes not only to a sporting event, but also to accommodation, transport, restaurants, local activities, venues and services. Sport becomes the reason for travelling, but the impact extends beyond the competition itself.
For destinations such as Lisbon, Albufeira and the wider Algarve, these events help bring international groups into local economies while also reinforcing Portugal’s position as a strong destination for sports travel.
What This Says About Sports Tourism
Sports tourism has evolved significantly in recent years.
It is no longer only associated with elite teams or major international competitions. Increasingly, it includes youth athletes travelling for development, veteran players continuing to compete, senior amateur teams combining sport with leisure, and clubs looking for tailored sports tours abroad.
This diversity is important.
It shows that sport can attract different audiences at different stages of life. A young basketball player, a veteran basketball athlete, a volleyball team, a senior football squad and a rugby group on tour may all have different motivations, but they share one thing: sport gives them a reason to travel, connect and experience a destination in a more meaningful way.
For Move Sports, this period was a clear example of that reality.
It required planning, coordination, flexibility and a team capable of moving between different types of projects without losing sight of what matters most: the experience of the people taking part.
A Strong Month, and a Sign of What Is Growing
June and the beginning of July were intense weeks for Move Sports, but they also reflected the company’s wider role in sports tourism in Portugal.
The ESBA MaxiBasket Championship Algarve / Albufeira 2026, the Lisbon Basketball Youth Cup, the Portugal Volleyball Festival and the Portugal Summer Football Cup each have their own identity, audience and rhythm. Alongside them, the rugby and football tours added another dimension to an already busy calendar.
And the calendar continues. On 11 July, the IKF Beach Korfball World Cup Europe 2026 begins in Costa de Caparica, organised by the International Korfball Federation (IKF) and the Portuguese Korfball Federation, with Move Sports as co-organiser. With 15 national teams taking part, the event reinforces the same idea: Portugal continues to attract international sporting competitions across different disciplines, audiences and formats.
Different sports. Different generations. Different reasons to travel.
But all connected by the same idea: sport can bring people to Portugal in ways that are active, social, international and memorable.
For Move Sports, that is both the challenge and the purpose.
To keep creating sporting experiences that are well organised, meaningful for participants and valuable for the destinations that welcome them.