Antalya, Türkiye, once again became the beating heart of European corporate minifootball as 40 teams battled for glory at the 2026 Euro Business Cup, producing a thrilling spectacle of goals, surprises, knockout drama and two deserving champions.
With teams representing businesses from across Europe and beyond, the competition brought together a fascinating mix of established powerhouses, ambitious challengers and determined underdogs, all chasing the same dream of lifting silverware on the Turkish Riviera.
This year’s tournament introduced an exciting league-phase format, with all 40 teams playing three matches against different opponents before being ranked in one overall league table. Every goal, every point and every result mattered, with the final standings determining which teams progressed directly into the knockout stages, which faced an additional hurdle and which would battle for glory in the Conference Cup.
The top eight teams earned automatic qualification for the Round of 16, while those finishing between ninth and 24th entered a preliminary knockout round, with eight winners joining them in the last 16. Teams finishing from 25th to 32nd moved into the Conference Cup, ensuring that another eight sides still had silverware to fight for, while those in the bottom eight saw their campaigns come to an end.
And what a league phase it proved to be!
Romania’s Catena Racing Team immediately announced themselves as serious contenders, storming to the top of the standings with three victories, 17 goals scored and just one conceded. Bulgaria’s FC Villa Mark Orbit, Azerbaijan’s Azersun and Kazakhstan’s Progress were equally impressive, each collecting a perfect nine points, while Astra and Dodo Pizza also completed flawless league campaigns.
Georgia’s GM Vartsikhe and Slovakia’s Niké Je Tipovanie rounded out the automatic qualification places, leaving a host of dangerous teams facing the uncertainty of the preliminary round.
That extra hurdle produced its own moments of drama. Uzbekistan’s Tashkent defeated Iran Entrepreneur Club 3–2, Romania’s ACS Gemina Cluj edged TPP Maritsa East 2 by a single goal, while Micropoll of Slovakia and Meteksan Matbaacilik of Türkiye both needed shootouts to keep their championship hopes alive.
As the competition entered the Round of 16, the pressure intensified and the margins became finer. Catena continued their commanding form with a 3–0 victory over Micropoll, while GM Vartsikhe swept aside ACS Gemina Cluj 4–1. Azersun edged past Turkish side TGS 1–0, Progress defeated Marka KZ by the same scoreline, and Camarazii 157 Ploiesti produced an impressive 2–0 victory over Dodo Pizza.
The quarter-finals brought even greater excitement. Catena overcame a spirited Tashkent side 4–1, Progress defeated fellow Kazakh representatives Astra 2–0, and Azersun delivered one of the most emphatic results of the knockout stages with a stunning 6–2 victory over Camarazii 157 Ploiesti.
Meanwhile, GM Vartsikhe produced a major result of their own, defeating FC Villa Mark Orbit 2–1 to reach the semi-finals.
With just four teams remaining, the championship was now within touching distance.
Catena Racing Team continued their remarkable run with a disciplined 2–0 semi-final victory over Progress, while Azersun came through a tense encounter against GM Vartsikhe, winning 1–0 to set up a mouth-watering final between Romania and Azerbaijan.
Azersun arrived with the pedigree of former Euro Business Cup champions, having lifted the trophy in both 2023 and 2024, but Catena had been relentless throughout the tournament and were determined to complete their campaign in style. Having previously been runners up twice, as well as having 3rd and 4th placed finishes, they believed this was now finally their time to shine.
And they did exactly that!
In the showpiece final, Catena Racing Team delivered another outstanding performance, defeating Azersun 2–0 to become the 2026 Euro Business Cup Champions. It was a fitting conclusion to an exceptional campaign, with the Romanian side winning every match and conceding just two goals across their seven fixtures.
But the excitement in Antalya was not confined to the main championship.
The Conference Cup offered eight more teams the opportunity to turn disappointment into triumph, with Fresh Fruits, Socar Türkiye, BC Moldindconbank, Mighty Doo, Waben Filter, Schaeffler, Finportal and Norm Holding all entering a separate knockout competition.
The quarter-finals delivered goals aplenty, with Türkiye’s Norm Holding overcoming Fresh Fruits 4–3 in a seven-goal thriller, Waben Filter defeating Serbia’s Mighty Doo 3–2, Slovakia’s Schaeffler producing an emphatic 7–2 victory over BC Moldindconbank, and Finportal edging Socar Türkiye 1–0.
The semi-finals saw Norm Holding continue their remarkable resurgence with a convincing 5–2 win against Waben Filter, while Schaeffler were equally impressive, sweeping aside fellow Slovakian representatives Finportal 4–0.
That set up a fascinating Conference Cup final between Norm Holding and Schaeffler, with both sides desperate to finish their tournament on a high.
In a tightly contested encounter, it was Norm Holding of Türkiye who emerged victorious, securing a hard-fought 1–0 win to become the 2026 Conference Cup Champions.
For Norm Holding, the achievement was particularly memorable. Having finished 32nd in the league phase without a victory, they transformed their fortunes when it mattered most, winning three consecutive knockout matches to lift the trophy on home soil.
It was the perfect example of what makes tournament football so captivating: fortunes can change in an instant, and even the most difficult beginnings can lead to unforgettable endings.
As the final whistle sounded on another memorable Euro Business Cup, Antalya had witnessed everything that makes minifootball special: outstanding skill, fierce competition, dramatic encounters, remarkable comebacks and the camaraderie that brings teams from different nations together.
For Catena Racing Team, it was a tournament of dominance and a richly deserved championship triumph. For Norm Holding, it was a story of resilience, redemption and the determination to keep fighting.
Two champions, 40 teams and countless memories.
Antalya 2026 certainly delivered!