Ilturo Pugnare 2026 joins HEMA Ratings, awaits organizer validation

A 25-fencer field split across three steel divisions gave Ilturo Pugnare 2026 real weight inside Spain’s HEMA scene, even as HEMA Ratings kept the event inactive while it waited for organizer validation. The tournament took place in Cabrera de Mar, Spain, on April 18, and the card already shows enough volume to matter: 184 bouts across longsword, rapier & dagger, and single rapier.

The numbers point to a compact but versatile competitive pool. Mixed Steel Longsword led the way with 81 fights and 20 fighters, while Mixed Steel Single Rapier produced 53 fights with 14 fighters and Mixed Steel Rapier & Dagger added 50 fights with 12 fighters. That spread suggests more than a one-weapon gathering, but it also shows how concentrated the field remained. The tournament’s shape was broad enough to test multiple weapons, yet small enough that every bracket shift and pool result carried clear weight.

The roster also made the event look more than locally insular. Club Esgrima Burriac anchored the field, joined by Sala d'Armes Monjuïc, Associació d’Esgrima Històrica de Castellví de Rosanes, AMEH - Sala de armas Jaime III El Temerario, Duo Bellum, and Associació Esgrima Antiga Catalunya Central. Hema Praha and Maryland Kunst des Fechtens widened that picture further, bringing in visitors from Central Europe and the United States. The bout structure was laid out in detail with pool-stage pairings and individual fight IDs, the kind of transparency that lets followers track the tournament round by round instead of waiting only for a final bracket.

This was the fifth edition of the Pugnare tournament and the first held in Cabrera de Mar, at Pavelló Municipal de Cabrera de Mar. The calendar listing placed the event across April 18-19, and the program included a cultural visit to an archaeological site tied to the town’s history. Club Esgrima Burriac organized the meet with support from Associació Llibres i Espases, Federació Catalana d'Esgrima, and Cabrera Esports, while video descriptions also named sponsors including Sparring Gloves, Grant Esgrima, Blackfencer, Arcensis, Bellatore, Regenyei Armory, Agea Editora, Sigi Forge, Spes, The Hema Shop, Zwaard en Volk, Haft Arms, and Ignasi Pastissers. Earlier Iluro Pugnare editions in 2022 and 2024 show a tournament that has already built continuity, and the 2026 move to Cabrera de Mar tied that continuity to the town’s Ilturo and Burriac identity. Once validation lands, the event’s 184-bout snapshot should become a meaningful ratings marker for a scene that is still proving its depth across weapons and borders.