The Organising Committee of the 20th Mediterranean Games Taranto 2026 held the official draw for the team sports at the Aula Magna of the Department of Ionian Studies of the University of Bari Aldo Moro. The event was attended by Iakovos Filippousis, secretary general of the International Committee of Mediterranean Games -ICMG-, and members of the ICMG Coordination Commission for Taranto 2026.
The draw covered water polo, handball, volleyball, football and 3×3 basketball, marking a new phase in the event’s preparation. The Games will take place from 21 August to 3 September 2026, with Taranto as the organisational centre and a network of host municipalities completing the competitive map of an edition already entering the final stretch of its planning.
A sports map spread across Taranto and Apulia
The territorial dimension will be one of the defining features of Taranto 2026. The event will not be limited to the main city, but will be spread across different venues in Apulia, with competitions scheduled in municipalities such as Fasano, Francavilla Fontana, Grottaglie, Lecce, Martina Franca, Massafra, Montemesola, San Giorgio Jonico, Statte and Torricella, as well as Taranto.
The countdown follows several monitoring meetings and technical visits by the ICMG, focused on the progress of infrastructure and operational organisation. Key venues include the Erasmo Iacovone Stadium, planned for the opening ceremony, along with facilities such as the swimming stadium, PalaRicciardi and the Magna Grecia tennis centre, as the Games move into a phase of greater mobilisation across their main operational areas.
Water polo, handball, volleyball, football and 3×3
The draw defined the groups for five disciplines, with broad representation from Mediterranean countries. In men’s under-21 water polo, Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Slovenia were drawn in Group A, while Spain, Italy, France, Türkiye and Bosnia and Herzegovina will compete in Group B. In women’s under-18 football, Portugal, Morocco and Algeria will join Spain in Group A, while Italy, Slovenia and Kosovo were placed in Group B.
In men’s under-21 football, Morocco, Türkiye, Tunisia and North Macedonia were drawn in Group A, while Italy, Algeria, Kosovo and Albania will form Group B. In men’s under-21 handball, Group A will bring together Egypt, Italy, Portugal and Kosovo, with Group B featuring Tunisia, Algeria, Greece and Cyprus. The women’s under-18 competition will be played in a single group with Algeria, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Tunisia.
3×3 adds Olympic value on the road to Los Angeles 2028
3×3 basketball will be one of the largest competitions among the team sports drawn, with 29 national teams across the men’s under-23 and women’s under-23 tournaments. The discipline also adds a strategic dimension to the programme after the International Basketball Federation -FIBA- recognised the Taranto 2026 competitions as ranking events for the international 3×3 standings, an important element on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
The 3×3 tournament will be held from 29 August to 2 September at the Gardens of Villa Peripàto, a symbolic location in Taranto that will be redeveloped to host one of the most visible competitions on the programme. Filippousis welcomed the recognition, saying: “Thank you, FIBA, for this exceptional recognition of our commitment and for giving our athletes the opportunity to pursue their Olympic dream.” With the draw completed, Taranto 2026 has defined its first competitive map and continues towards Games built around sport, territory and Mediterranean cooperation.
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