TST 2026, Cagliari reaches the round of 32

At The Soccer Tournament 2026, an international seven-a-side football tournament in Cary, North Carolina (USA), Cagliari defeated Fort Lauderdale 4-3 to advance to the next round of the competition, the round of 32. After a 2-1 win against Villarreal in their opening match, Cagliari lost 3-1 to Mexican side Club América. The third and final Group J match against Fort Lauderdale proved decisive, as the Rossoblu entered the match with a perfect record.

In the round of 32 it will be Cagliari against Tactital Manager Flo Sharks, who won group K. Whoever wins, in the round of 16, finds Orlando Pirates or Furia. The race is scheduled a quarter of an hour after midnight (6.15 pm local time) | CLICK HERE TO WATCH IT

THE REPORT OF CAGLIARI-FORT LAUDERDALE

AHEAD BY TWO WITH SAU AND SETTI
After a good save by the rossoblù goalkeeper Buono, Vinciguerra came close to taking the lead in the 9th minute, but his lob with the goalkeeper beaten was blocked by the defense on the goal line. A few minutes pass and Vinciguerra again goes away on the right and serves Marco Sau in the center, the number 25 scores for 1-0. At 13′ Sau was again close to doubling the lead served by Cavuoti; in the following action another combination of the Sau-Cavuoti duo frees Setti for a close shot, it’s 2-0. The first half ends with a save from Buono on a close range shot.

RADJA TAKES CARE
In the 25th minute, Vinciguerra nearly scored, but the Americans responded: in the 29th minute, Martinez scored to make it 2-1. Two minutes later, Arellano found the equalizer. Vinciguerra executed a beautiful acrobatic overhead kick, but Fort Lauderdale again found the back of the net through Fuertes, who took the lead: 3-2. In the 35th minute, Nainggolan, as always, brought the game back to a close: a long-range strike into the bottom corner to make it 3-3.

FACUNDO SETTI DECIDES
After two 18-minute periods of regulation time, the match goes to Target Score, which, in the event of a tie, awards the victory to the team that scores first. According to the rules, if the decisive goal doesn’t arrive in the first three minutes of Target Score Time, both teams progressively lose a player every three minutes. In the 6-on-6 session, a fine save by Buono saves the result; in the 5-on-5 session, Cavuoti sends Setti on, and the Argentine scores his brace to make it 4-3. Cagliari, second in Group J, secures their place in the next round and qualifies for the Round of 32 of the TST 2026.

CAGLIARI’S SQUAD AT TST 2026
Led by captain Andrea Cossu, the team can count on the experience and charisma of Radja Nainggolan, Marco Sau, Luca Ceppitelli, and Matteo Mancosu, all of whom have long been involved with the club and in professional football. Also in the squad are Cagliari’s young players Vincenzo Sarno (goalkeeper), Nicolò Cavuoti, Nicola Grandu, Otheniel Raterink, Márton Prettenhoffer, and Alessandro Vinciguerra. Completing the roster are Alessio Buono (goalkeeper, from Zeta Como of the Kings League), Argentine Facundo Setti (futsal specialist), Canadian Lucas Shaw, already signed for the 2025 season, and American Ashraf Tendo Bedard-Khalid. The team’s coach is Gian Marco Serra: a Sardinian five-a-side football coach with extensive experience in regional futsal, he has played for Mediterranea Cagliari, Monastir, and Serramanna, as well as having led the Sardinian Under-19 team. Athletic preparation is overseen by Francesco Fois, who previously served on the Rossoblù first team’s medical staff, focusing on injury recovery.

CLICK HERE | Standings, results, and schedule

All matches will be broadcast on the TST YouTube channel (Click here), all updates will be published on the official Cagliari Calcio channels, with photos, videos and exclusive content from North Carolina.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CAGLIARI-FORT LAUDERDALE STRIKERS