Futsal Champions League semi-finals tie-by-tie: Cartagena vs Sporting CP, Palma vs Etoile Lavalloise

Cartagena Costa Cálida play Sporting CP and holders lles Balears Palma take on Etoile Lavalloise in the 2025/26 UEFA Futsal Champions League semi-finals on Friday 8 May at Pesaro Futsal Arena, with the third-place play-off and final two days later at the same venue in Italy.

We look at the two semi-final ties, which were set by the draw on 17 March.

Cartagena Costa Cálida vs Sporting CP

• Cartagena took bronze on debut last season with a penalty shoot-out defeat of Sporting in Le Mans. Sporting led through Tomás Paçó and Anton Sokolov, but Gabriel Motta and Waltinho (formerly of Sporting) equalised for Cartagena and both also converted in the shoot-out along with Darío Gil, while two Chemi saves were key as the Portuguese side were only successful with one out of four kicks.
• Cartagena had lost their debut semi-final 3-2 to Kairat, who they knocked out in the quarter-finals this time around by winning home and away, making them the only one of the four clubs to reach Pesaro unbeaten over 40 minutes.
• Cartagena are hoping to emulate previous Spanish winners Playas de Castellón (2002, 2003), Inter FS (2004, 2006, 2009, 2017, 2018), Barça (2012, 2014, 2020 and 2022), and Palma (2023, 2024, 2025).
• Cartagena coach Duda previously led Murcia FS to the final in 2008.
• Cartagena have won the Spanish league in the last two seasons, ending a streak in which Barça, Inter or Murcia had claimed the title every year since Castellón's last triumph in 2001.
• Sporting are the first team to contest the finals six years running and in all are featuring for a record 13th time – 12 in the post-2006/07 format and, before that, as hosts of the eight-team final tournament that concluded the inaugural 2001/02 campaign.
• Sporting are aiming to equal Inter's record of reaching the final eight times. Sporting were winners in 2019 and 2021, and runners-up in 2011, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023.
• João Matos, Gonçalo and Alex Merlim were part of both previous Sporting triumphs, along with coach Nuno Dias. Twins Bernardo Paçó and Tomás Paçó, Pauleta, Zicky and Taynan (currently injured) were involved in the 2021 final success.
• Sporting's João Matos' record competition appearance tally is now up to 96, and he has appeared in 11 semi-finals.
• In the quarter-finals, Sporting's Nuno Dias overtook Jesús Velasco's total of 80 UEFA futsal club matches coached, moving on to 82.
• Sporting were winners in 2019 and 2021, and runners-up in 2011, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023.
• This is the eighth time Sporting have faced Spanish opposition in the semi-finals. They beat Inter in 2019 and 2021 but lost all five other such ties including 3-0 to Palma last term. (Sporting have won all their five semi-finals against non-Spanish opposition.)
• Sporting's Bruno Pinto, with 11 goals, is the competition's current top scorer over the season alongside Soufian Charraoui of Tigers Roermond.
• In February's Futsal EURO 2026 final, Cartagena's Chemi, Mellado, Pablo Ramírez and Francisco Cortés were part of the Spain side that beat a Portugal team including Sporting's Bernardo Paçó, Tomás Paçó, Diogo Santos and Pauleta.

Past UEFA competition meetings:
2024/25 third-place play-off: Cartagena 2-2 Sporting (Cartagena win 3-1 on penalties, Le Mans) 

Cartegena (ESP)

Top scorer: Waltinho 7
Previous best: Third place
2024/25: Third place
Semi-final record: W0 L1

Sporting CP (POR)

Top scorer: Bruno Pinto 11
Previous best: Winners (2019, 2021)
2023/24: Fourth place
Semi-final record: W7 L5

lles Balears Palma vs Etoile Lavalloise

• These teams faced off in their opening game of the campaign on Matchday 1 of the main round on 29 October, group hosts Palma trailing at half-time to Souheil Mouhoudine's goal but recovering to win 2-1 through Fabinho and Charuto.
• Palma last season became the first club to win three titles in a row, having done so on their first three entries. They could now be the first team to reach the final four seasons running.
• Mario Rivillos could become the first player to win five finals after victories with Inter FS in 2016/17 and now Palma in the last three seasons. Goalkeepers Carlos Barrón and Luan Muller have also been part of all three Palma triumphs; only Sergio Lozano has previously lifted the trophy four times with the same club (Barça).
• Fabinho was a winner in 2023 and 2025 but injured in 2024, when Ernesto missed the final suspended. Also in the side that won in 2025 were Charuto, David Peña, Ernesto (who missed the 2024 final suspended), Lucas Machado and Mateus Maia, while lining up for Kairat in last year's decider were Dennis Cavalcanti and Alisson, both now with Palma.
• Last season Palma coach Antonio Vadillo equalled Jesús Velasco's record of winning the competition three times as a coach, and became the first coach to win it three times with the same club, as well as three times in a row.
• Palma's quarter-final second-leg loss at Riga was their first defeat in any match in this competition, in their 31st fixture. Palma's 30-game unbeaten streak fell one short of the overall UEFA club competition record of OL Lyonnes, set in the UEFA Women's Champions League between 2017 and 2021 (though 30 is a record for any team from their first match in UEFA competition).
• Etoile are only the second French team to contest this stage after ACCS Asnières Villeneuve 92 in 2021/22 (they finished fourth).
• Etoile's Mouhoudine and Nelson Lutin were in that ACCS squad; Mouhoudine also helped Cartagena to bronze last term.
• Etoile's run this season includes twice coming back from three down to beat Semey (in the main round in Palma de Mallorca and in the home first leg of their quarter-final). In all three of their victories against Semey this campaign, Bilal Bakkali hit late winners.
• Rivillos helped Spain win UEFA Futsal EURO 2026 as captain. Etoile's Mouhoudine (who finished as joint-top scorer), Louis Marquet, Abdessamad Mohammed and Ouassini Guirio aided France to the semi-finals.

Past UEFA competition meetings:
2025/26 main round: Etoile 1-2 Palma (Palma de Mallorca)

Etoile Lavalloise (FRA)
Top scorer: Bilal Bakkali 8
Previous best: Elite round
2024/25: Elite round
First semi-final

Palma (ESP, holders)
Top scorer: Alisson 8
Previous best: Winners x 3 (2022/23, 2023/24, 2024/25)
2024/25: Winners
Semi-final record: W3 L0