Two Menorca-based players have been called up to the Balearics squad for the UEFA Regions Cup, coached by Serbian Jovan Stankovic.
Mercadal midfielder Juan Torres Marques and CE Ferreries defender Pepo were part of a 23-man squad that met for training at Son Claiu recently in preparation for the Spanish qualifying event later this month.
Juan has spent the past three seasons playing in Tercera Division with Mercadal, but previously played on the island for UE Sami and Penya Ciutadella, where he spent his formative years. He was part of the Atletico Villacarlos youth team that played in the Honor Division.
The 32-year-old Pepo has split his career between Ferreries and Mercadal, where he spent the past four seasons before returning to the Regional League for this campaign.
He played for Ferreries in Tercera at the age of 18 back in 2011/12, before moving to Mercadal for five seasons. A return to Ferreries for four seasons followed, up to 2021/22 when he went back to Mercadal for another spell in Tercera.
The selection of players is drawn from across the Balearic islands, with naturally a strong contingent of players based in Mallorca.
The team will play in a qualifying tournament against 18 other Spanish regions for the honour of representing Spain in the 2026/27 UEFA Regions Cup.
What is the UEFA Regions Cup?
The UEFA Regions Cup is a competition for players across Europe who have never featured at any professional level, and is effectively a successor to the old UEFA Amateur Cup
Each UEFA member nation may enter one representative amateur team into the competition, which was held for the first time in 1999.
In the most recent edition, a total of 35 teams entered the 2024/25 tournament. That format saw a preliminary round involving five teams, and then an intermediate round of 31 teams, that were drawn in to eight groups of four alongside the winner of the preliminary round.
The 2025 final was won by Aragon, the Spanish representatives, beating Polish side Lower Silesia 1-0 in the final. England were represented by the Arthurian League, an amateur football alliance.
Spain are the most successful country in UEFA Regions Cup history, winning the competition four times – Aragon (2025), Galicia (2023), Castile and Leon (2009) and Basque Country (2005) – as well as finish second twice (Madrid 1999, Catalonia 2013)
How can the Balearic Islands qualify for the UEFA Regions Cup?
To select the Spanish representative for the UEFA Regions Cup, a qualifying stage is held including the 19 autonomous cities and communities. Only amateur players aged between 18 and 35, who have never signed a professional contract, are eligible to play.
The format usually sees the 19 teams divided in to six groups, with the winners of each group and the two best runners-up progressing to the quarter-finals. The eventual winner of the final then wins the chance to represent Spain.
The Balearic Islands have never qualified for the main UEFA Regions Cup, though did reach the semi-finals of the qualifying stage in 2010 and 2020.
To date, only seven teams have represented Spain – Castile and Leon, Basque Country, Catalonia, Galicia, Asturias, Madrid and Aragon.
Is this a Balearic Islands national team?
Kind of – known as the Absolute Balearic National Team, it is drawn from the best amateur players across the Balearic islands, but of course that excludes the best players from Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera who will have played professionally.
They recently played a friendly match against UD Ibiza, to help raise funds for the Red Cross Foundation to help those affected by the recent DANA in Ibiza. Their kit is a beauty.
In a quirk of the qualifiers, a penalty shoot-out takes place at the end of every group match, to help separate sides if they ended up level on points and goal difference at the end of the stage.
In the last qualifying tournament, back in 2023/24, the Balearics were beaten 3-0 by Andaluisa, but did beat Ceuta 2-1. In 2019/20, the Balearics topped their group with 1-0 wins over Cantabria and Navarre. They then beat La Rioja 4-0 in the quarter-finals, before bowing out to eventual winners Galicia 4-1 in the semis.
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