Welcome to Tarraco Cup 2026

REGULATION

The Tarraco Cup will be governed according to the rules and regulations RFEF – Royal Spanish Football Federation and FCF – Catalan Football Federation.

The present regulations describe the modifications of the rules and regulations detailed above.

DOCUMENTATION

Before the start of the competition all players and technical staff must be duly accredited and registered on the competition platform.

During the competition only team members who are duly accredited will be allowed to be in the assigned technical area.

It is not possible to register or modify players and technical staff once the competition has started.

The person in charge of each team will receive from the organization copies of the list of players. Thirty minutes (30′) before each match, one of these lists must be handed to the field director or assistant field director indicating the number of bibs that the players will wear during the match.

All players must identify themselves with a valid federation license, ID card, passport or other official document proving age with a current photograph. All teams are required to carry with them in each match the documentation of all team members proving identity (ID card, passport, card …).

The corresponding review of documentation will be made before the start of the competition, but also if circumstances require it, the organization may repeat it at any other time.

NUMBER OF PLAYERS AND SUBSTITUTES

There is no maximum limitation on the number of players registered per match.

It is permitted to field a player in different teams of the same club as long as the team where the player is fielded is of a different and higher category. In no case may a player be fielded in another team of the same or lower category than the one in which he is registered, regardless of his age.

In no case may a player play in the competition with two different clubs or two teams of the same club participating in the same category.

In order to be properly aligned, 5 hours must have elapsed between the end of one match and the start of another.

SUBSTITUTIONS

Substitutions are free without the need to stop the game, always under previous authorization of the director, assistant field director or referee.

The game will only be stopped if the substituted player is the goalkeeper, or if the referee or field director sees fit.

Any substituted player may re-enter.

All substitutions must be made through the center of the field. The player who enters the field of play must do so once the field director or assistant field director has given his approval.

BALLS

All matches will be played with balls approved by FIFA (Football-11 categories size 5 and Football-7 categories size 4).

The organization will not provide warm-up balls before the matches. Teams are recommended to bring their own balls.

EQUIPMENT

Each club is required to bring at least two numbered playing uniforms or one numbered kit and one set of numbered bibs. All jerseys must be properly numbered and the numbers must match the match sheet. It is recommended that the player wear the same number throughout the competition.

Teams shall wear the first official kit of the designated club prior to the start of the competition. If the kits of both teams match in color or the referee determines that confusion may occur, the away team (listed second on the competition schedule) shall change kits.

All players playing in the match are required to wear shin guards.

Players warming up during the course of the match must stand in the area previously established by the Field Director wearing a bib/vest that does not coincide in color with any of the teams in play.

PLAYING PROGRAM

The organizing committee reserves the right to make changes in the game program, both in terms of schedules and playing fields. Information about the changes will be communicated to the team manager.

PUNCTUALITY

Teams must be at the field between 1 hour and 30 minutes before the scheduled start of the competition. Thirty minutes (30′) before the start of the match, the team must be ready on the field.

COMPETITION SYSTEM

In the “Qualifying Phase” the teams play against each other in a single round-robin league system. All groups will be formed by 4 teams.

The teams classified in 1st and 2nd position will pass to the “Final Phase”, the teams that finish in 3rd and 4th position will play each other in the “Consolation Phase”.

 

The “Final Phase” and “Consolation Phase” matches will be played according to the cup system (direct elimination) and will be decided without extra time, by penalties, according to IFAB and FIFA rules.

*The competition system may vary depending on the number of participating teams.

QUALIFYING ROUND LEAGUE SCORE

Match won: 3 points

Tied game: 1 point

Match lost: 0 points

CLASSIFICATION CRITERIA

In case of a tie between two teams

  1. Particular Golaverage.
  2. Overall points average.
  3. Number of goals scored.
  4. Youngest team.

In case of a tie between more than two teams*.

  1. Points obtained in the matches played between the teams involved.
  2. Golaverage of the matches played between the teams involved.
  3. Number of goals scored in the matches played between the teams involved.
  4. Overall points average.
  5. Number of goals scored in the general classification of the group.
  6. Youngest team.

*If the tie between more than two teams in any point becomes a tie between two teams, then it will be considered a “tie between two teams” and the tie will be broken according to the appropriate criteria.

PENALTY KICKS TO BREAK TIES IN PLAY-OFFS

It will be carried out in accordance with FIFA game rules. The teams will shoot a penalty shootout one at a time alternately (5 penalties in the categories of Football-11 and 3 in the categories of Football-7). If there is still a tie, the game will go to sudden death. The teams will shoot a penalty alternately until one scores and the other misses.

Only players who are on the field at the end of the match may participate in the penalty shootout. Each penalty kick shall be taken by a different player. Only after each team member has taken a penalty kick (including the goalkeeper) may players take a second penalty kick.

RULES FOR A PENALTY SHOOTOUT

A goalkeeper who suffers a clear and obvious injury, confirmed by the organization’s medical team present on the field, during the execution of the penalty shootout and is unable to continue playing may be replaced by a designated substitute.

Any eligible player may change places with the goalkeeper at any time during the execution of the penalty shootout.

If, at the end of the match and before the penalty kicks are taken, a team has more players than its opponent, it must reduce its number of players to equal that of its opponent and the team manager must inform the field director and the referee of the name and number of each player excluded.

Thus, any excluded player will not be allowed to take part in the penalty kicks.

All players available, according to the rules, to take the penalty kick shootout, must stand in the center of the field, with the exception of both goalkeepers and the player taking the penalty kick. The rest of the players and coaching staff must remain in the assigned technical area.

This committee will be formed by four people, among them, two members of the organizing entity, a member of the Technical Committee of Referees and a member of the Federació Catalana de Futbol.

The matters of protests and claims will be dealt with by the Competition Committee and its written resolutions cannot be appealed or changed.

SANCTIONS

If a team fields a player who is suspended or does not comply with the requirements of the rules, the team will lose the match in question by 3-0.

If a player commits an infraction punishable by a caution or expulsion (whether on or off the field), he will be penalized according to the nature of the act according to the referee’s report and under the sanction parameters detailed in the regulations and rules of the game.

The yellow card will be used to communicate a caution. The player who receives two yellow cards in the same match will be expelled from the match and will not be allowed to participate in the same match.

The red card will be used to communicate an expulsion.

During the course of the competition, the use of the blue card will NOT be valid.

Expulsions, previously verified and reviewed by the Competition Committee, will not be penalized in the following cases:

  • Being sent off after preventing a goal with the hand or wasting an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (except in the case of the goalkeeper inside his own penalty area).
  • Being sent off after a minor offence for being the last player in an obvious goalscoring move.
  • Receives a second caution in the same match, this being of a minor nature and with no further repercussions.
  • Receives a second caution in the same match, this being of a minor nature and with no further repercussions.

The expulsions of a serious nature will be sanctioned by the Competition Committee and may lead to the suspension of one or more days, in the following cases:

  • Serious foul play.
  • Spitting at an opponent or any other person.
  • Violent conduct.
  • Using offensive, insulting or humiliating language and/or gestures.
  • Aggressive and/or unsportsmanlike conduct.
  • All actions that the Competition Committee considers of a serious nature.

All cases of serious expulsion will be reported to the national federation of the country of the player concerned.

Unsportsmanlike conduct, regardless of whether it occurs on or off the field of play, may result in the exclusion of a player or team from the competition.

DISCIPLINARY MATTERS

All incidents and expulsions that may occur during the course of the competition (on or off the field) will be reported to the Competition Committee.

The Competition Committee will be solely responsible for applying the corresponding disciplinary sanctions. At the end of each day the sanctions will be communicated to the teams concerned.

The sanctions imposed by the Competition Committee and its written decisions may not be appealed or changed.

SUSPENDED MATCH

If a match is suspended due to any incident and/or incident, the Competition Committee will decide on the following parameters, taking into account the reason for the suspension.

  • The match is replayed from the start.
  • The match was replayed from the minute when it was suspended.
  • The result of the match when suspended is set as the final result.
  • One of the teams wins 3-0.
  • Both teams lost the match (0-3).
REFEREES

The referees of the Tarraco Cup belong to National and International Referee Committees and will be appointed by the Territorial Committee of Catalonia. Their decisions are unappealable and in no case will be grounds for complaint.

COMPLAINTS

Protests or claims must be submitted in writing to the Field Director or Organization Manager together with the 60€ claim fee, which will be refunded in case of a favorable resolution.

These claims must be submitted no later than 30 minutes after the end of the match in question.

Claims will be accepted only if they are submitted by the delegate or team manager duly accredited.

Complaints will not be accepted for refereeing decisions.

Written decisions of the organizing committee cannot be appealed or changed.

RULES OF ORDER

Delegates are responsible for their players in case of damage in locker rooms, hotels, buses or other facilities.

Silence must be respected in the hotels between 23 ’00 and 8′ 00 hours. Meal times established by the hotel managers must be respected. It is forbidden to travel in the organization’s transport without a T-shirt. It is forbidden to bring alcohol or other substances not allowed for children under 18 years of age in the rooms. Failure to comply with any of these rules by any player, coach or accompanying person may be grounds for expulsion from the tournament.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND INSURANCE

All clubs/teams must have their players insured on and off the field. All participants must have a health card or private insurance. Tarraco Cup is not responsible for possible damages to participants such as loss of personal belongings (due to theft or other circumstances) or injuries. Neither will the club be responsible for measures taken by public authorities or transport companies such as strikes, cancellations, etc. The club, at the time of registration, declares that its players are physically fit for the event. The organization declines all responsibility for any damage that participants may cause during and after the competition both to themselves and to third parties.

DATA BASE

All participants registered on the official platform of the tournament are required to fill out the data protection form, have it signed by their legal representatives and deliver it to the organization before the tournament. This form will be used to consent to the processing of data. Participation in the event authorizes Tarraco Cup to use any graphic reproduction of the participants during the tournament.

Players and/or clubs that do not present the authorization of image rights before the beginning of the competition will not be allowed to participate in the tournament.

MODIFICATION

Any circumstance that has not been reflected in the rules is the exclusive competence of those responsible for the organization, being their decisions unappealable, reserving the right to add, modify, interpret and apply the rules according to their criteria and the needs of each tournament. The Tarraco Cup reserves the right to modify these rules for the benefit of the competition.

All modifications made to these rules will be communicated in writing to the head of the participating club or team.