Agustín Tapia is backing Gonza Alfonso for Argentina at the 2026 padel World Cup. After the Rotterdam P2 quarter-final, which he won with Arturo Coello against Valentino Libaak and Alfonso 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, the world No. 1 said his compatriot deserved a place in the squad.
The FIP World Cup will be played in Doha from November 2 to 7. Argentina will defend the men’s title won in 2024 and must select an eight-player squad.
Gonza Alfonso receives Tapia’s public backing in Rotterdam
Tapia had just spent more than two sets facing Libaak and Alfonso when Argentina’s selection came up in the post-match interview broadcast on Red Bull TV. The player from Catamarca congratulated his opponents and singled out Alfonso.
“Gonza, given the level he has shown in recent months, deserves to be in the national team.”
The endorsement comes from a player who knows Argentina’s internal competition. Tapia was part of the team that won the title in Doha in 2024, when Argentina beat Spain 2-1 in the final.
Results with Libaak strengthen Alfonso’s World Cup case
Gonza Alfonso was No. 26 in the FIP ranking on September 28. His recent run with Valentino Libaak has produced the clearest evidence for his candidacy. The two Argentinians won the FIP Silver events in Porto Sant’Elpidio and Budapest, then reached the Madrid P1 semi-finals before making the quarter-finals in Rotterdam.
In the Netherlands, they beat Fran Guerrero and Javi Leal 7-5, 3-6, 6-4 in the round of 16. A day later, they took the opening set from Coello and Tapia before losing in three sets. The FIP had already highlighted that sequence of results before the quarter-final.
Argentina must choose eight players for Doha
The FIP World Cup 2026 will bring together 16 men’s and 16 women’s national teams in Doha. Argentina’s men qualified automatically as defending world champions.
Gabriel Reca and Rodrigo Ovide lead the Argentina team. Alfonso does not have the ranking position of the most established names in the squad conversation, but his recent results and Tapia’s public support add evidence to his case. The staff must select eight players for the competition beginning on November 2.
