2025 saw Maltese sport shine on the international stage with some impressive performances. The Times of Malta SportsDesk looks back at ten of the best feats attained by Maltese representatives during the past 12 months….
FOOTBALL
Ħamrun Spartans enjoyed a fairytale 2025 as they not only managed to win a third successive league title but also became the first Maltese side to reach the League Phase of the UEFA Conference League.
It was a stunning performance from Giacomo Modica’s men, who, after knocking out Lithuanian side Zalgiris in
the UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, went on to reach the Play-Off round of the UEFA Conference League, where they managed to beat RFS, of Latvia, 3-2 on aggregate for a historic qualification.
The Spartans were not finished yet as they managed to continue to rewrite the history books in the League Phase as they clinched a first win in this phase of the competition when defeating Lincoln Red Imps, of Gibraltar, 3-1 at the National Stadium.
ARTISTIC SWIMMING
Maltese artistic swimmer Zea Montfort secured a very prestigious result in 2025 after reaching the final of the Women’s Solo Free at the European Championships in Athens.
Montfort had already stood out for Malta during the Games of the Small States of Europe held in Andorra earlier in the year, where she managed to win two silver medals.
Montfort continued to rubber-stamp her potential with a fine performance in the Solo Free, which saw her produce a brilliant display to score a solid score of 171.8601 that earned her 11th place in the standings, and a place in the final – a first for a Maltese artistic swimmer.
In the final, Montfort again shone as she produced another fine display to finish tenth overall with a score of 201.0501.
WOMEN’S FOOTBALL
The Malta women’s national team secured promotion in the UEFA Nations League for the second time in their history after battling past direct rivals Cyprus 1-0.
Haley Bugeja turned out to be Malta’s hero when netting the winner in the decisive clash, which was played in front of a record crowd at the National Stadium.
It was the first time in two decades that the Malta women’s national team played at Ta’ Qali’s main stadium since 2005, and the historic occasion saw 1,205 fans turn up – a new national attendance record for a women’s football match.
Manuela Tesse’s girls secured their second promotion in the space of three years with a victory over Cyprus to finish top of their group and secure their berth in League B.
MEN’S FOOTBALL
The Malta men’s football national team completed a remarkable feat in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in 2025.
Emilio De Leo’s team managed to rack up five points, which matched the record number of points attained in a qualifying campaign by his predecessors Dusan Fitzel and Devis Mangia.
The national team completed the feat after a stunning 1-0 win over Finland in Helsinki, which was Malta’s first away win in a competitive match since defeating Armenia in 2013.
Added to that, Malta managed to avoid finishing bottom of the group – the first time our country has achieved that feat since the 1994 World Cup qualifiers, when the team was under the charge of Pippo Psaila.
Ultra triathlon
Fabio Spiteri continued to establish himself as Malta’s most successful ultra-triathlete after placing second in two DECA races during 2025.
The Deca Ultratriathlon leads participants to a total distance of 2,260 kilometres, which corresponds to 10 times an Ironman race.
In August, Spiteri smashed his national record on his way to finishing in second place at the Bretzel Ultra Triathlon Deca in Colmar, France.
Spiteri managed to complete the distance in 233 hours, 10 minutes and 25 seconds to finish only behind Goulwenn Tristant, of France.
Three months later, he survived the dangers of Typhoon Fung-Wong to complete another amazing feat after placing second in the Taiwan Ultra Triathlon Deca race.
Spiteri managed to complete the race in 229 hours… which is four hours quicker than his national record. But his time could not be recognised as the race was stopped for 24 hours due to the arrival of Typhoon Fung-Wong.
2025 GSSE
Team Malta secured its best result in the Games of the Small States of Europe held away from our shores after an impressive showing in Andorra.
The Maltese contingent ended the Games with 56 medals – 13 gold, 24 silver and 19 bronze – a tally that not only fulfilled the Maltese Olympic Committee’s pre-set goal of achieving its best performance in a foreign GSSE, but also secured Malta’s second-best-ever display in GSSE as they superseded the 2003 edition held in Malta where the team won 11 gold medals, 18 silver and 15 bronze.
The star performer of the team in Andorra was artistic gymnast Sophie St John who returned home with five medals – three gold, one silver, and one bronze.
WATERPOLO
The Malta U-18 waterpolo national team entered the history books of the sport after they defeated Germany in a penalty shootout to secure a ninth-place finish at the European Championship, in Oradea, Romania.
This was Malta’s second success over powerhouse Germany in the tournament after they had similarly defeated them during the group stage and had ensured they returned home with the country’s best-ever result in a European Championship from all age groups.
It was a very impressive showing from the Maltese youngsters who managed to win five of the six matches played during the competition.
POOL
The Malta Pool men’s national team was crowned Ultimate Pool World Team Shootout champions for the first time.
Malta beat defending champions Wales 5-4 in the final, having suffered three consecutive final defeats in previous years of the competition.
It was a strong performance from the Maltese selection, formed by Miguel Amato, Owen Amato, Johan Attard, Clayton Castaldi, Lydan Debono, Dejan Grech, Ryan Pisani and Chris Zaffarese, who managed to keep the momentum going throughout the final.
The victory was especially sweet as the Malta team beat all three teams that had previously beaten them in Shoot-Out finals – Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales – en route to the title.
BLACKBALL
Malta enjoyed a highly successful participation at the 2025 European Blackball Championships, held in Ennis, Ireland.
The Maltese teams returned home with four gold and three silver medals to secure their best-ever result in the championship.
Mevrick Zammit carved his name into European Blackball history by defeating Anthony Monarch 7-5, securing his first European singles title.
Steven Muscat and Nordai Desira won the Under-23 Doubles event.
While in the Under-15 final, the Malta national team, coached by Robert Attard, claimed an 8-4 win over Northern Ireland.
In the Over-40 Seniors European final, Malta overpowered reigning European and World Champions, England, with a commanding 13-1 victory.
SAILING
Malta secured a historic victory at the SB20 European Championships, with Team BOOST Stella Maris, being crowned female champions in Ostend, Belgium.
Flying the flag for the Royal Malta Yacht Club and the SB20 Malta Association, skipper Gabriella Mifsud led team-mates Anna Basalkina, Mattea Ciantar, and Emilie Gregory to an impressive showing over 13 fiercely contested races.
The team finished 13th overall, competing in a strong international fleet made up of highly-experienced SB20 sailors.
The SB20 is a highly competitive one-design keelboat class, raced internationally by both professional and amateur sailors.
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