More than 300 speakers and over 110 exhibitors participated in the event.
Sports Summit Madrid (SSM), a project promoted by MADCUP, successfully concluded its second edition after two intense days, held on June 17 and 18 in Hall 8 of IFEMA Madrid. It reaffirmed its position as one of the leading meeting points for the sports industry and all related sectors, both nationally and internationally.
SSM 2026 brought together a total of 19,800 visitors, more than 300 speakers, and over 110 exhibitors; figures that reflect the growth and consolidation of an event that continues to gain importance within the international sports ecosystem. It is a space designed to connect professionals, generate business opportunities, share knowledge, and analyze the future direction of the industry.
Major brands and industry figures present
This second edition, which has doubled the space of its first year, featured the participation and representation of top-tier entities and organizations such as the NFL, NBA, Formula 1, Spanish Paralympic Committee, Special Olympics, Spanish National Sports Council, ASOBAL, Bundesliga Handball, Ligue Nationale Handball, LALIGA, ProLiga, European Hockey Federation, European Volleyball Federation, OVG, Elevate, Legends Global, EuroLeague Basketball, Global Football Holdings, Unipublic, Decathlon, Alberto Contador Foundation, Trinidad Alfonso Foundation, Laureus Foundation, Andersen, Garrigues, GSIC, UN Women, UN Tourism, FEMP, FNEID, ADESP, Nielsen, AWS, Telefónica, Movistar+, DAZN, Mediapro, VISA, Zurich, Allianz, QuirónSalud, Sofascore, AS Roma, World Triathlon, and WTA, in addition to numerous international clubs, institutions, and companies that transformed Madrid, for two days, into one of the The major hubs for conversation in world sport.
The event’s three content spaces -Auditorium, Atrium, and Agora- played a leading role, hosting presentations, panel discussions, and strategic conversations with some of the top leaders, athletes, executives, and experts in the international sports industry. These spaces brought together figures such as Pau Gasol, Jorge Garbajosa, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, Vicente del Bosque, Fernando Belasteguín, Delfina Brea, Mario Mola, Damián Quintero, Sandra Sánchez, Raúl Entrerríos, Jennifer Pareja, Paula Leitón, Almudena Cid, Giba, Javier Sotomayor, El Langui, Iballa Ruano, and Hecher Sosa, among other prominent figures in world sport.
The event also boasted a broad representation from top-level institutional, business, and industry leaders, including Valerio Gori, Gerard Tsobanian, Héctor Argüelles, Bastien Lacheny, Chus Bueno, Nuno Moura, Massimo Benassi, Sonia Cea, Rafa de los Santos, Ellen Jones, Louise Young, Daniel Martínez, Frank Bohmann, Etienne Capon, Anna Kofoed, Matt Jones, Fernando Barrio, Yovhanna Billard, David Rumbao, Oscar Graefenheim, Arturo Llopis, Luis Urbano, Jaime Ozores, Fran Contador, Juan Miguel Gómez, Maria Fusté, Marco Gessini, Felipe Pascual, Leonel Salgueiro, Olmo Hernán, Urs Lehmann, Jesús Ibáñez, and Xavi Ubeira, among many other key representatives of the international sports ecosystem.
Experiences, activations, and live sports at SSM Arena
Today’s events also featured some particularly memorable moments, including Vicente del Bosque’s visit to the pavilion, Fernando Belasteguín’s presence at the Argentina stand, and Juan Manuel Montilla “El Langui’s” participation alongside the Spanish Paralympic Committee in a bocce demonstration, highlighting the role of sport as a tool for inclusion, integration, and social transformation. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario’s appearance on the pickleball court in the SSM Arena area, one of the most dynamic spaces of this second day, was also a highlight.
The SSM experiential zone once again became one of the event’s main meeting points, hosting various sports activations and interactive experiences that kept everyone bustling with activity throughout the day. The Hyatlon space featured triathlete Mario Mola, while Javier Beirán returned to the 3×3 basketball court, which, along with the padel court and the 3×3 football pitch promoted by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, reinforced the event’s commitment to bringing sport closer to attendees through a participatory and immersive experience. All of this was complemented by the experiences developed in collaboration with NO.MAD.
Furthermore, this space hosted the national finals of STEM RACING SPAIN, a project promoted by the MADCUP Foundation and one of the four projects endorsed by Formula 1, which announced the four teams that have qualified for the world finals at the Singapore Grand Prix.
SSM’s growth has been supported by key strategic pillars such as sports tourism, fitness, health and wellness, technology, artificial intelligence, infrastructure, urban sports, and federations. This has allowed it to consolidate a cross-cutting, innovative approach aligned with the main challenges and opportunities currently facing the sports industry globally.
With the conclusion of this second edition, SSM continues to solidify a project that, in a very short time, has become a leading platform for connecting sports, business, technology, institutions, and society. The strong response from the sector, the level of participation, and the quality of the content reinforce SSM’s position as a key event for driving the future of the sports industry.
