METROPOLITANGO WORLD COMPETITION CIRCUIT 2026

OFFICIAL REGULATIONS
(Valid for all National and International Categories)

The MetropoliTango World Competition Circuit originates from the ten-year format of the “Metropolitano Tango Italia” and takes place in several countries worldwide. It includes both the National Circuit and the International Circuit.

MetropoliTango World 2026 will be developed across multiple stages (Official Venues) in different countries, from November 2025 to the end of June 2026.

Each Stage (or Sub-Venue) will represent a competition of the Circuit, and winners will be determined with the awarding of titles and prizes, both for National and International categories.

Competitors may choose to participate in only the National Circuit, only the International Circuit, or both Circuits.

For the International Circuit, there will be 5 categories, all Open (open to both Amateurs and Professionals), for participants from all over the world:

• Tango de Pista Open
• Vals
• Milonga
• Tango Escenario
• Tango Milongueros (Leader, Follower)

Each International Category will be considered valid with at least 3 couple participants.

International Circuit of MetropoliTango will include these OFFICIAL CATEGORIES: Tango de Pista, Vals, Milonga, Tango Escenario, Tango Milongueros

• TANGO DE PISTA – Open to all, both Professionals and Amateurs. All Amateurs may also register for the Open category. Professionals may only register for the Open category.
• TANGO MILONGUEROS – Open to all. Registration is individual (not as a couple). The ronda consists of 3 songs with partner changes for each song. Judges evaluate each Leader and each Follower separately, awarding the best Leader and the best Follower.
• VALS – Open categories, for both Amateurs and Professionals.
• MILONGA – Open categories, for both Amateurs and Professionals.
• TANGO ESCENARIO – Open category. Each couple competes individually, presenting 1 choreography (Tango, Vals, or Milonga), chosen by them, with a maximum duration of 4 minutes. Music must be provided in digital format (mp3 on USB stick) at accreditation. The name of the choreographer must also be declared.

Other unofficial categories may be added, at the discretion of the local organization.

Special Category “Tango Sin Fronteras”

The Tango Sin Fronteras category is open to all people with physical and/or intellectual disabilities, regardless of type or degree, including those who use aids, devices, or supports (wheelchairs, prostheses, canes, etc.).

Couples may consist of:

• one disabled and one non-disabled dancer, or
• two disabled dancers.

The spirit of the category is to celebrate freedom of expression, connection, and the joy of Argentine tango, respecting each dancer’s individuality.

This category will be held only during:

• the National Final weekend (Apr 30 – May 3, 2026), and
• the World Final weekend (June 25–28, 2026)

Participants may present 1 individual performance (1 couple), either on improvisation or in the execution of a choreography, or 1 group performance, in the execution of a choreography.

Each category will be considered valid and confirmed with a minimum of 3 registered couples; for the Milongueros category, with at least 6 registered couples, three leaders and three followers.

ORGANIZATION

The highest authority for the competition—responsible for enforcing all the provisions of these Regulations in all Official Venues—will be MetropoliTango World Srls.

REGISTRATION

Participants must be at least 18 years old by the start date of the competitions.

National Circuit: open to couples who are either native or resident of the organizing nation for at least 1 year from the date of the competition they intend to enter.

For each Stage/Sub-Venue, a competitor may enter with only one partner per category, but may compete with different partners in different categories, and with different partners in the same category in different cities/stages.

International Circuit: open to participants from all over the world.

Participants may compete with one partner per category, but may change partners across different categories.

REGISTRATION PROCEDURE – ANNEX 1

To participate in the activities of MetropoliTango World, including both National and International Circuits, each participant must:

1. Register online on the official website www.metropolitangoworld.com.
2. Pay the annual individual membership fee:
• €97.00 Standard Membership – includes access to all standard services of MetropoliTango World, registration with Metro Tango SSD

Registration for the National and International Circuits of MetropoliTango  is complete and confirmed only once the membership payment have been received.

COMPETITION CATEGORIES – REGISTRATION AND FEES

After registering for the Circuit, participants must select the category(ies) they wish to compete in for each Stage, through the official MetropoliTango World website.

The fees for categories are paid directly to the Local Organizers of the selected Stages/Cities (official partners of Metro Tango).

International Categories

• Up to 2 Couple Categories*: €70 per couple
• Up to 4 Couple Categories*: €90 per couple
• Milongueros: €30 per person

Notes:

• *“Couple” means the same partner. If competing with different partners, the fee is counted separately (€70 + €70).
• *Categories must belong to the same circuit (all National or all International) to be cumulative.
• *Beginner, Milongueros, and Group Choreography categories are independent and cannot be combined with other categories for cumulative discounts.

Registration deadlines for each Stage will be published on the official website and corresponding social media accounts.

ACCREDITATION

At accreditation, participants must:

• Present a valid ID document (and proof of Italian residence if not shown on the ID, for National Circuit participants).
• Tango Escenario must provide the name(s) of choreographers/authors of their routine and hand over the music (mp3 format on USB stick) to the DJ.

Each competitor will then receive their participation number.

• Participants who fail to accredit cannot compete. Delays are only tolerated in proven cases of force majeure.
• All data declared during accreditation will be treated as a sworn statement. Any later contradiction will result in penalties (score reduction, disqualification, or other measures decided by the Organization).
• ID and accreditation documents must be shown at the start of each competition phase.

COMPETITION

For both the National and International Circuits, competitions will consist of up to 3 elimination phases:

• Qualifying Rounds,
• Semifinals,
• Finals.

If more than 50 couples per category are registered, an additional phase (Quarterfinals) will be added before the Semifinals.

COMPETITION PHASES

• Qualifying Round: activated with at least 21 couples per category, with a maximum of 10 couples per ronda (12 couples may be allowed in special cases, subject to approval by the Central Organization). In such cases, it may be possible to skip the Qualifying Round and move directly to the Semifinal.
• Semifinal: activated with 11 to 20 couples (or up to 24, if approved). The top 10 (or 12) advance to the Final. In case of a tie for 10th place, all couples tied will advance. If fewer than 12 couples are registered, the Central Organization may allow a direct Final.
• Final: activated with 3 to 10 couples (or 1–10 for Beginner, Escenario, and Group Choreography). Up to 12 may be allowed if approved.

Examples:
A) 21 (or 25) couples → Qualifying Round → top 18–20 (or 24) advance to Semifinal → top 10 (or 12) advance to Final.

B) 20 (or 24) couples → start directly from Semifinal → top 10 (or 12) advance to Final.
C) 10 (or 12) couples → start directly from Final.

• In all categories (except Escenario and Group Choreography), competitors perform in group presentations (rondas), dancing 3 recorded songs chosen by the Organization (sometimes 2 for timing reasons).
• The Organization may disqualify participants who:

a) fail to comply with the Regulations,

b) commit ethical misconduct or actions harmful to the Championship’s image or offensive to the public.

JURY

In all categories, the Jury—having read and accepted these Regulations and committing to respect them—will determine the scores of couples, individual participants (Milongueros category), and groups (Choreography).

• The Jury will be composed of recognized tango professionals, of any nationality, selected and proposed by the Local Organization and approved by the Central Organization of MetropoliTango World, after completing the 2025–26 Judge Training Course organized by MetropoliTango World
• All Jury decisions are final and unappealable. By registering, participants accept this condition.
• If a Jury member has had close personal or professional relationships with a participant in the past 3 months, they may choose to abstain from voting.

In case of disputes, participants may submit a written request to the Local Organization (and if necessary, to the Central Organization), but never directly to the Jury.

• At each Stage/Sub-Venue, the Jury may remain unchanged and must include at least 5 judges.
• For the National Circuit, at least 3 out of 5 Jury members must be from outside the host city.
• The Jury’s final score at each Stage will declare:
• the winning couple/participant/group of each category in the National Circuit (awarded as Stage Champions),
• the winning couple of each category in the International Circuit (awarded as International Champions of that Stage).

In exceptional circumstances (power failure, accidents on stage, etc.), the Jury may request additional performances to ensure fair evaluation; participants may not refuse.

The Jury may provide feedback or advice only after the conclusion of the entire Stage, and always at their own discretion.

JUDGING SYSTEM

Scoring Method

• Each Jury member assigns a score on a scale of 1 to 10, using decimals (hundredths allowed in increments of 0.05 → e.g., 7.05, 7.10, 7.15 … not 7.03, 7.12, etc.).
• The highest and lowest scores are removed, then averaged; this average is added to the other scores.
• The total is then averaged over the number of Jury members considered.
• Example: with 5 judges → remove the highest and lowest → average these two → add to the other 3 scores → divide by 4.

Partial and final scores will be publicly announced at the end of each Stage/competition day, and published on the official website and the Local Venue’s page (same day or next day, unless unforeseen).

• The winner is the couple/individual/group with the highest score.
• Same method applies for all subsequent placements.
• In case of a tie in decisive rounds (Final or others), the Organization may ask tied competitors to dance a tie-break ronda (1–2 songs).

 

SUPERVISOR (VEEDOR)

The Supervisor (Veedor), appointed or approved by the Central Organization, will:

• ensure compliance with these Regulations,
• resolve any issues not covered by the Regulations,
• provide authoritative interpretation when necessary.

 

COMPETITION – EVALUATION CRITERIA

Tango de Pista, Vals, Milonga, Trilogía

• Couples must not break the embrace while the music is playing.
• The torso of one dancer must always remain within the embrace of the partner (though elastic movements are allowed).
• All movements must respect the embrace.
• Judges evaluate: embrace, musicality, connection, walk style, floor circulation, and rhythm (especially in Vals and Milonga).
• Allowed: traditional social tango figures (barridas, sacadas al piso, enrosques, etc.).
• Not allowed: jumps, tricks, aerials, or figures where both feet lose floor contact, nor choreographic elements of Tango Escenario.
• Couples must circulate counterclockwise, without blocking the ronda.
• Clothing is not a judging parameter in these categories.

Tango Escenario

• Couples may interpret tango with personal artistic vision, including movements not strictly from traditional tango, provided they incorporate classic tango figures (ochos, giros, caminatas largas, boleos, ganchos, abrazo milonguero).
• Breaking the embrace is allowed.
• Elements from other dance disciplines may be included if coherent and beneficial to the performance.
• Aerials or tricks must not exceed one-third of the routine.
• The choreography must use the full stage space.
• In case of issues during the routine, the Jury will evaluate how gracefully the couple resolves them (the routine cannot be repeated).
• If a technical issue occurs, the Organization and Jury may allow a repeat performance at the end of the session.
• Costumes are part of the evaluation criteria.

PRIZES

1) NATIONAL CIRCUIT – OFFICIAL STAGES

Each Official Stage of the MetropoliTango 2025–26 National Circuit will award a winning couple (Champion) in each National Category.

Prizes may include trophies, medals, certificates, and additional awards provided by the Local Organizer.

2) INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT – OFFICIAL STAGES

Each Official Stage of the MetropoliTango Italy 2025–26 International Circuit will award a winning couple in each International Category, with trophies, medals, certificates, and additional awards provided by the Local Organizer.

Cash Prizes:

It will be at the discretion of the local organizers to establish the amount of money relating to the prizes for the winners, in each category, National and International.

Local organizers will have to guarantee the participation of their winners in the World Finals of MetropoliTango World

Additional prizes and mentions may be awarded at the discretion of the Central Organization.

4) METROPOLITANGO WORLD FINALS

The World Finals include 3 phases:

• Qualifying Rounds
• Semifinals
• Finals

⚠️ Access to the World Finals is strictly by merit only. No direct registrations are allowed.

Qualified participants:

• Top 10 of each National Category from every National Final of MetropoliTango (all participating countries).
• Top 10 of each International Category from every National Final of MetropoliTango.
• Top 5 from each Pre-World Final:
• World Champions Pre-World Final
• International Champions Pre-World Final
• Re-Dance Pre-World Final

Direct access to the Final:

• Winners of all National Finals (National Categories).
• Winners of all National Finals (International Categories).
• Winners of the 3 Pre-World Finals (World, International, Re-Dance).

Direct access to Qualifying Round:

• 2nd–10th places from National Finals (National Categories).
• 2nd–10th places from National Finals (International Categories).
• 2nd–5th places from each Pre-World Final.

Semifinal:

• All couples qualified from the Qualifying Round.

SPECIAL PRELIMINARIES

1. Re-Dance Pre-Finals Rounds
• Direct preliminaries to the World Finals.
• Open to all couples who did not qualify but participated in at least one National Edition of MetropoliTango during the current season.

1. International Champions Pre-Finals Rounds

• Direct preliminaries to the World Finals.
• Open to:
• Champions of any Official BA Tango Mundial Preliminaries worldwide.
• European/international champions of Dance Sport Federations.

1. World Champions Pre-Finals Rounds

• Direct preliminaries to the World Finals.
• Open to:
• Past World Champions of Tango BA Mundial.
• World Champions of any Dance Sport Federation.
• Internationally renowned tango artists of proven global career.

⚠️ Important: If a competitor qualifies with multiple partners in the same category, they must choose only one partner for the World Finals and Re-Dance Rounds. Other qualified partners may continue with another eligible dancer who has participated in at least one official competition during the season.

MEDIA RIGHTS

MetropoliTango World reserves the right to record and broadcast all competitions by any means (video, photography, television, streaming, digital).

• All materials are the exclusive property of MetropoliTango Srls.
• By registering, participants give their explicit and irrevocable consent to the use of images and recordings for promotion, advertising, sponsorships, and partnerships, without compensation of any kind.