When Future Stars Take the Court: What Did Minicopa 2026 Reveal?

Pavel Mňuk
Feb 26
5 min read

Updated: Feb 26

Last week, I had the opportunity to witness what I would consider one of the best youth tournaments (U14 category) not only in Europe, but arguably in the world. In the past, future stars such as Luka Dončić, Ricky Rubio, Victor Wembanyama, Domantas Sabonis, and from the Czech Republic, Vít Krejčí, have taken part in this tournament. Agents and scouts travel from all over the world just to see talented players and future stars at this exceptional event.

To briefly explain, Minicopa is a youth tournament in Spain that is held alongside the Spanish men’s cup competition, the Copa del Rey. The final stage of the cup takes place at the same venue for both youth and senior players, which makes the tournament unique. Many young players get to experience an incredible atmosphere in front of large crowds, as fans attending the senior games also come early to watch the “future stars.” Only academies of teams competing in the ACB league, the top Spanish men’s division, are eligible to participate in Minicopa. Naturally, the final tournament has a limited number of spots, so a qualification tournament is played beforehand. Teams are divided into groups and must earn their place in the finals. However, some teams receive automatic qualification, such as Valencia this year as the host club, and Barcelona as the winner of the previous Minicopa edition.

In addition to the final tournament, I also had the chance to watch the qualification tournament. Apart from a few exceptions, it was not much of a spectacle, as many games ended with a 50-point margin, which is the maximum deficit allowed both in qualification and in the final stage. Once that margin is reached, the result is officially decided, but the game continues until the end of the period without further score being counted. Because the qualification results were so lopsided, I was looking forward to the final tournament, hoping for better and more competitive games. This year, there were two Czech representatives at the tournament: Patrik Matějka, who has been part of the Tirma Gran Canaria academy for the second year, and Jakub Jan Marek from TJ Start Havířov. He had a try-out with UCAM Murcia, but unfortunately, their team did not advance through the qualification stage.

A total of eight teams participated in the final tournament: Barça, Valencia, Real Madrid, CB Canarias, Tirma Gran Canaria, Zaragoza, Unicaja, and Manresa. The atmosphere in the Fonteta de Sant Lluís arena, the former venue for the senior men’s games, was indescribable. I watched almost every game, and there were large crowds at each one, not to mention “El Clásico” and the final itself. All games were professionally hosted, with entertainment programs during the breaks, and there were many additional activities and fan zone stands outside the arena as part of the Copa del Rey celebrations. It truly felt like a basketball festival, and in my opinion, everything was very well organized. Many fans travel from all over Spain to experience this extraordinary atmosphere.

As for the tournament itself, the players face an extremely demanding schedule. The tournament runs from Wednesday to Sunday, and if you advance to the semifinals, it means playing five games in five days, which in my opinion is extreme.

During the first three days, games were played in two groups of four teams, and honestly, I was disappointed. Most of the games ended with larger margins, and the overall level of play was often weaker. Defensive intensity was lacking at times, players focused more on protecting the area under the basket, and offensive combinations were minimal. In my opinion, this was partly influenced by the noticeable physical imbalance among some teams. Madrid, Barcelona, and Gran Canaria had two or three players on their rosters who were significantly more physically developed than the others, not only in height but also in overall body structure. It naturally makes one wonder whether some of them are truly fourteen years old. The question remains, however, whether relying too heavily on immediate physical advantages truly benefits long term development. If the offense is built primarily around one or two physically dominant players, while others with potential sit on the bench or are on the court but barely touch the ball because the game stays in the hands of those few players, their long term development can suffer significantly.

The truly exciting games came in the semifinal stage. First, El Clásico between Real and Barça, which ended with a seven point difference. Throughout the game, they battled for every possession and the score kept shifting. Ultimately, thanks largely to the committed performance of point guard Gael Gómez on both ends of the floor, Real Madrid secured the win. From Barcelona, I must highlight Szymon Nagorski, who played the full 40 minutes. Although he did not stand out statistically in this game, I consider him one of Barcelona’s biggest talents and one of the physically dominant players whose age I genuinely believe. I saw him at the tournament last year, and it is clear that significant development work has been done with him.

The second semifinal featured host Valencia against Gran Canaria. If you had asked me before the game, I would have bet on Gran Canaria. On paper, they looked like the stronger team, and they had shown signs of strong collective play in their group stage win against Barcelona. However, that teamwork quickly disappeared in this semifinal, as was evident from the opening minutes. Valencia rotated consistently, involved all players in the game, and created open shots, with five players reaching double figures. In contrast, Gran Canaria barely rotated, and their offense relied heavily on one or two players. In this matchup, Valencia’s collective team play clearly prevailed over Gran Canaria’s individual performances, winning 88 to 79.

The finals between Valencia and Real Madrid, held in the new Roig Arena, attracted an incredible crowd of 7,143 spectators. I cannot imagine what that must have meant for the young players or whether they felt nervous, but I believe it was unforgettable lifetime experience for them. At first, I was worried the game might turn into a blowout, since Valencia had lost 42 to 93 in the group stage. Fortunately, that was not the case. The first 20 minutes delivered a thrilling and balanced contest full of excellent youth basketball actions. Unfortunately, in the second half Real shifted into a higher offensive gear, and Valencia was unable to respond. In my view, they struggled mainly because they took too many shots from long distance, especially Promise Ikponwmenosa Amandi, who shot 1 of 10 from three point range, and Nathan Furnemont, who finished 3 of 15. They missed crucial shots in key moments, Real gradually pulled away, and eventually won 77 to 93.

From Valencia, I would highlight Albert Monsonis. Although he is rather inconspicuous due to his smaller stature, he is still able to make an impact. If he continues to grow physically, I believe we will hear big things about him in the future. Patrick Eke is also worth mentioning, as he fulfilled his role perfectly by securing important rebounds and finishing when needed. Nathan Furnemont is a very talented point guard who I believe will show more of his potential, but in this game he tried to take over too much on his own, which limited his effectiveness. For Real Madrid, Mason Broyles stood out and earned the overall Most Valuable Player award of the Minicopa with his performances.

All Star Team: