2026 European Pétanque Championship: Full Results from Lorca

The Confédération Européenne de Pétanque (CEP) brought its 2026 championship to Lorca, in the Murcia region of Spain, 18-21 June 2026. Host federation Federación Española de Petanca (FEP) organized the event across the Huerto de la Rueda fairground and the Palacio de Ferias y Congresos Alcalde Francisco Jódar, drawing more than 30 national teams to compete for titles in men's and women's tête-à-tête (singles), men's and women's doublette, and mixed doublette. Here is the full rundown of who won what.

Men's Tête-à-Tête: Bonetto Goes Unbeaten

Mickaël Bonetto capped a perfect run through the qualifying rounds, five wins from five matches, by winning the men's individual title for France. It was the standout result of the French campaign in Lorca and the team's only gold medal of the championship.

Women's Tête-à-Tête: Johansson Denies Bories a Repeat

Jessica Johansson of Sweden beat France's defending champion Aurélie Bories 13-9 in the women's individual final, adding the European Singles title to a career that already included a 2019 World Championship doubles silver medal and 25 Swedish national titles. Bories, who had won the title at the previous European Championship, took silver.

Men's Doublette: Spain Beats Italy on Home Soil

The men's doublette final went the host nation's way, with Spain defeating Italy 13-9 to win gold in front of a home crowd. France's pair of Bonetto and Yohan Cousin had already been eliminated in the semifinal, losing 11-13 to Italy, and settled for bronze - Italy's runners-up finish in the final meant silver.

Women's Doublette: Spain Completes the Home Double

Spain made it a doublette sweep, beating Switzerland's Yvonne Bless and Corinne Althaus 13-7 in the women's final for a second home gold. France's pair - Charlotte Darodes and Bories, the defending champions from Martigny 2024 - led the Swiss 6-0 early in their semifinal before Bless and Althaus fought back to win 13-6, sending France to the bronze-medal match instead of a title defense.

Mixed Doublette: Italy Edges France by a Single Point

The closest final of the championship came in mixed doublette, where Italy's Jacopo Gardella and Sara Ferrera held off Darodes and Cousin 13-12. The French pair had cruised through qualifying with a perfect 5-0 record before falling agonizingly short in the final.

Beyond the Podium: Portugal's Best Result in Years

Outside the medal table, Portugal turned in its strongest European Championship performance in years. Algarve pair Hugo Dores and Vítor Peres reached the men's doublette quarterfinals before losing to eventual gold medalist Italy, finishing 5th, and Dores also reached the men's tête-à-tête quarterfinals before losing to eventual champion Bonetto, finishing 5th in that event too.

The Round of 16 Scare: Luxembourg Pushes France to the Brink

Away from the medal rounds, Luxembourg's men's doublette pair, Claudio Contardi and Adrien Daunois, produced one of the tournament's most dramatic scorelines. In the round of 16, they raced out to an 8-1 lead over France's Bonetto and Cousin - the eventual bronze medalists - before France stormed back to win 13-8. It stands as one of the strongest results a Luxembourg pairing has produced against a top-five nation in recent memory.

Season Snapshot

France's tally of five medals from five disciplines entered, but only a single gold, capped a championship that Spain will remember as one of its most successful on home soil. For more on how these formats work, see our guide to pétanque tournament formats and the official rules. France's Lorca squad went on to contest the 2026 French national championships the following month, and the international calendar continues into the 2026 World Championship in Khon Kaen, Thailand this November.