From the soccer fields of Tarragona, Spain, to the roads of Córdoba, sports have become a key gathering point for healthcare professionals in Spain and beyond. Following the recent victory of the Metges de Tarragona Soccer Club — the medical soccer team of the Tarragona physicians’ association in Spain — in Spain’s 23rd National Medical Soccer Championship, which secured a berth in the 2027 World Medical Football Championship (WMFC) in Torrevieja, Spain, the article highlights a growing calendar of medical sports events. From soccer to cycling, these competitions underscore how teamwork and fair play can improve quality of life for clinicians while turning on-field camaraderie into a valuable support network for everyday medical practice.

The Metges de Tarragona Soccer Club was the winner of the 23rd edition of the National Doctors’ Soccer Championship, held this year in Salou, Spain. The Catalan team clinched the championship with a perfect record of wins against teams from Almería, Huelva, Mallorca, Málaga, and Granada, Spain, and won the final in a penalty shootout against Badajoz, Spain. Now, this medical soccer team will represent Spain at the WMFC, which will take place in 2027 in Torrevieja.

“We’re very motivated and excited. We started in 2010, and now we’re riding high. After this success, we can’t stop,” Antonio Buñuel, member of the current board and one of the team’s main driving forces alongside current president Alberto Pradillo and Manuel Valdés, told El Médico Interactivo, part of the Medscape Professional Network.

The team will have to keep training to give it their all in Alicante, Spain. “We’re going to stay the same, with a few new additions, since we try to improve every year, and if a doctor who plays soccer comes to the area, we try to recruit them,” he explained. Buñuel emphasized that they’re like a big family and that, even with new additions, players who move to other provinces or regions for work continue to play on the team.

The National Medical Soccer Championship is one of the highlights of the national medical calendar; it has drawn 600 professionals from 20 medical associations across the country. The tournament is an 11-A-side soccer competition between teams made up of individuals who hold a medical degree and are over 25 years old. Matches last 30 minutes. There is also a “Pioneers” 7-A-side soccer tournament for players over 45 years old. Concurrently, the International Conference on Sports Science and Health is held, where doctors prepare presentations and participate in talks and debates.

Bonds of Friendship Beyond the Playing Field

For Buñuel, the greatest value goes far beyond the competition. What matters most are the bonds that are formed, both among the players and among the coaching staff. “It’s magical. It’s 3 days of shared experiences where we share sorrows, joys, and both good and bad moments. Sometimes, the camaraderie is very close,” he said.

The doctor emphasized that these bonds also extend beyond the field and ultimately affect professional practice. “When a doctor needs to consult on a case or refer a patient while on call and finds a teammate on the other end of the line, the relationship ceases to be solely between professionals and becomes one between two people who already know each other,” he said. He also highlights the unifying role that soccer plays for doctors who come from other provinces to complete their residency: Finding a team makes it easier for them to adapt.

Buñuel himself said he has experienced this support network firsthand. He recalled that last year, after suffering a health issue and being transferred to the referral hospital in Tarragona, the first doctor on call to treat him was a former team member. At the end of her shift, the doctor who took over his care the following morning had also been part of the team. “The team of doctors in Tarragona has given me — and continues to give me — a great deal of satisfaction. It’s very positive for everyone. The only downside is injuries, which happen from time to time, but that’s hard to avoid,” he concluded.

Along the same lines, Rafael Jesús Reyes Vallejo, specialist physician in family and community medicine and captain of CF Médicos de Córdoba (MEDCOR), founded in 2022, noted in a conversation with El Médico Interactivo that being at the hospital and working with teammates helps a lot in day-to-day life. “Soccer brings us together; we make many friends and have a good time. Then, at the hospital, the relationship with someone on the team is different from the one you might have with other coworkers,” he said.

Vallejo acknowledged that this year in Tarragona was “so-so,” with the team finishing second to last. However, he highlighted the team’s progress in recent years, with two fourth-place finishes, a second-place finish in 2024, and an eighth-place finish in 2025. He recalled the experience of the 2024 World Cup in Australia, which they attended after the defending champions withdrew: “It was amazing — we finished in fourth place,” he recalled enthusiastically. Looking ahead to the 2026-2027 season, MEDCOR continues to grow by bringing in new players and participating in new events, including the European Medical Football Championship, to be held in Sosnowiec, Poland, from July 9 to 11, and the WMFC, scheduled for Seville from October 15 to 17, 2026.

As the team’s captain summarized, their mission is to foster and promote sports activities among the medical community in Córdoba to improve their quality of life. This principle is complemented by a commitment to collaborating with organizations and associations that promote these habits among the general population of Córdoba and that carry out charitable and awareness-raising activities. The team’s values are those intrinsic to sports: friendship, respect, teamwork, fair play, commitment, responsibility, effort, discipline, camaraderie, self-improvement, motivation, humility, and learning.

WMFC

Since 2018, the winner of Spain’s National Medical Soccer Championship has gone on to represent the country at the WMFC the following year. The 2024-2025 national champion was the Las Palmas team from Spain, whose victory earned them a spot to represent Spain at the 2026 World Cup, which will take place in San José, Costa Rica, from December 12 to 19 of this year.

In the 2027 edition, Spain will be represented by Metges de Tarragona, the medical soccer team of the Tarragona Medical Association, after its most recent national championship win. The WMFC will be held in Torrevieja from September 27 to October 3, 2027.

In Costa Rica 2026, the championship paid tribute to Ferran Morell Brotad, pulmonologist and professor emeritus at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and one of the leading authorities at the Vall d’Hebron Research Institute in Barcelona, Spain. An iconic figure in Catalan medicine and a visionary pioneer of medical soccer worldwide, his legacy — rooted in academic excellence, humanity, and a deep passion for sports — forms the ethical and spiritual foundation that underpins the championship today.

In 1973, he founded Galens, a soccer club composed exclusively of doctors that soon became a symbol of unity, camaraderie, and passion for the sport. Under his leadership — always wearing the number 33, his unmistakable trademark — Galens not only achieved sporting success but also forged personal and professional bonds that transformed the history of international medical exchange.

That experience inspired Morell to take a decisive step: to create a world championship in which doctors could compete in the spirit of sportsmanship but, above all, get to know one another, learn from each other, and forge friendships.

Thus, in 1995, the WMFC was born in Barcelona — a revolutionary idea that today brings together thousands of doctors from more than 25 countries. The tournament’s code of ethics — which requires all players to be practicing physicians and prioritizes fair play — was personally drafted by Morell, establishing standards of integrity and authenticity that remain in effect three decades later.

His vision was summed up in the phrase that continues to serve as the championship’s motto: “The main goal of the WMFC is not just to play soccer but to make friends.” Guided by this principle, the tournament has grown into an international community where sports, medical science, and friendship come together to create a one-of-a-kind initiative.

Promoting Health Values Through Cycling

Sports among healthcare professionals aren’t limited to soccer. In the same spirit of promoting health, camaraderie, and active lifestyles, medical cycling has also gained prominence in recent years. A standout example in this context is the Spanish Cycling Championship for Doctors, an initiative that brings together physicians from across the country through cycling, with the goal of promoting physical activity, cardiovascular prevention, and the forging of professional bonds outside the healthcare setting. Córdoba also plays a prominent role in this discipline, establishing itself as one of the regions driving this movement.

El Médico Interactivo spoke with Luis Palenzuela, coordinator of the 17th Spanish Cycling Championship for Doctors, which this year will take place in Córdoba on October 3, 2026. The event will bring together doctors from various specialties and regions for a competitive race adapted by category, with a limit of 200 riders.

Palenzuela recalled that the first edition was held in Cuenca, Spain, and had very low participation. “It was conceived within the Spanish Medical Association by colleagues who are passionate about cycling. We’re now in our 17th edition. Since it’s a competition, it’s recognized by the Spanish Cycling Federation as an official championship,” he explained.

The Córdoba Organizing Committee emphasized the added value of this event. “We believe that a group of doctors from across the country gathering in the city to participate in a sporting event also conveys health-related values. It is our obligation as doctors to promote healthy habits among the population.”

In this vein, the championship will include an educational component in the city center, where several themed tents featuring health promotion content will be set up. Topics covered will include cardiovascular risk, the benefits of extra virgin olive oil, dietary habits, body composition, and sun-safe habits. In addition, the event will benefit from the collaboration of various public agencies, including the Córdoba City Council, with the goal of encouraging the use of bicycles as a regular mode of transportation and promoting the city’s cycling routes. Under the championship’s slogan, “Córdoba for Walking and Cycling,” the initiative also seeks to engage the public.

The Reina Sofía University Hospital, Murcia, Spain, which is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its founding, will also participate in this edition with educational activities aimed at reinforcing the importance of healthy lifestyle habits and their impact on the population.

The ‘Olympic Games’ of Medicine

Beyond these championships, there is a sporting event that can be considered the equivalent of the Olympic Games of medicine. This annual event brings together thousands of healthcare professionals from different countries and disciplines, making it the world’s largest showcase for sports among healthcare workers. We’re talking about the World Medical and Health Games, also called the Medigames.

Participants compete in 22 sports disciplines, including track and field, badminton, beach volleyball, cross-country, chess, soccer, weightlifting, golf, padel, judo, swimming, table tennis, half marathon, tennis, aquathlon, cycling or gravel, mountain biking, petanque, open-water swimming, rock climbing, kayaking, and shooting.

Since its first edition in 1978, the event has brought together more than 1500 participants from 40 countries and 100 healthcare professions each year. In addition, companions — whether athletes or not — can also participate. Pula (Istria’s largest city) and neighboring Medulin, Croatia, hosted the 45th edition from June 13 to 20. In addition to the athletic competition, professionals can attend the international symposium on sports medicine.

The Most Iconic Marathons

In this overview of major events in international sports medicine, we cannot overlook the world’s most iconic marathons. The Abbott World Marathon Majors (AWMM) is the international series that brings together the six most prestigious marathons: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago, and New York City.

Each Major attracts between 35,000 and 60,000 runners, meaning that the six combined have over 200,000 finishers per year. Although elite athletes are the focus of the competition, doctors are a common sight in the field, alongside runners of all levels because participation is open to anyone.

The circuit awards points to professional athletes based on their finish in each of the six races, in both the men’s and women’s categories as well as the wheelchair division. At the end of each cycle, the runners with the highest scores are crowned series champions, receiving cash prizes and international recognition.

The AWMM represents the pinnacle of road marathons. The six cities attract tens of thousands of participants and millions of spectators, generating significant media, sporting, and economic impact. In addition, the Six Star Finisher program recognizes those who complete all six marathons — a milestone that has become one of the major goals for amateur runners worldwide. The next events on the calendar are September 27 in Berlin, Germany; October 11 in Chicago; and November 1 in New York City.

This story was translated from Univadis Spain, part of the Medscape Professional Network.