Andalusia

Andalusia is an autonomous community in the south of Spain, recognised as a historic nationality by its Statute of Autonomy and made up of eight provinces (Almería, Cádiz, Córdoba, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Málaga and Seville) that bring together 785 municipalities. With 8,619,616 inhabitants on 1 January 2024 according to the INE, it is the most populous autonomous community in Spain, and its capital is Seville. Its territory opens onto both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and is structured around the Guadalquivir valley, between the Sierra Morena and the Baetic ranges. It was the main political centre of al-Andalus, with Córdoba as its capital, and preserves monuments such as the Mosque of Córdoba, the Alhambra of Granada and the Giralda of Seville.

Football reached Spain through Andalusia, brought by British workers of the mining companies of the province of Huelva, and Recreativo de Huelva, founded in 1889, is the country's oldest club. Real Betis Balompié and Sevilla FC are the two Andalusian clubs that have won the Spanish league, and Unicaja Málaga won the Liga ACB in the 2005-06 season. The community has organised major international events such as the 1996 Alpine World Ski Championships in Sierra Nevada, the 1999 World Athletics Championships in Seville and the 2005 Mediterranean Games in Almería, and every spring the Jerez circuit hosts the Spanish motorcycle Grand Prix. Tarifa, on the Strait of Gibraltar, is also an international reference centre for kitesurfing and windsurfing.

ACES Europe recognised Andalusia as European Region of Sport 2021, and its name opens the list of this category in the ACES roll of honour. The banner accrediting the title was handed over in December 2020 at the La Cartuja stadium in Seville, at a ceremony presided over by the regional Minister of Education and Sport, Javier Imbroda, in the presence of the president of ACES Europe, Gian Francesco Lupattelli. The recognition places Andalusia within the Spanish representation of the ACES network, later joined as European Regions of Sport by Castilla-La Mancha (2024), Asturias (2025) and Biscay (2026).