Eight world champions and one Olympic champion are expected to take to the tatami. Among the top stars in the 60 kg category are 2023 World bronze medallist, Lee Harim (Korea), Olympic bronze medallist, Luka Mkheidze (France), world medallists Ankhtaivan Ariunbold (Mongolia), Kim Won Jin (Korea) and Dilshodbek Baratov (Uzbekistan). 

Double Olympic medallist An Baul (Korea) will be a star name in the 66 kg weight category, while European silver medallists Salvador Cases Roca (Spain) and Tohar Butbul (Israel) will be looking for victory in the men's 73kg. 

Rio 2016 Olympic champion, Khasan Khalmurzaev (AIN) will return to the tatami in Portugal in the men's 81 kg weight category. He will be challenged by 2021 and current European champion, Vedat Albayrak (Turkey), 2018 World champion and Olympic bronze medallist, Saeid Mollaei (Azerbaijan), World bronze medallist Frank De Wit (Netherlands) and World bronze medallist Lee Joonhwan (Korea).

The top half of the draw for the -90kg category starts with world champion, Davlat Bobonov (Uzbekistan), while the bottom half is headed by Olympic bronze medallist, Krisztian Toth (Hungary). World silver medallist Ivan Felipe Silveorales (Cuba) and Olympic bronze medallist and world champion Donghan Hwak of Korea are two other star names in the division.

The top half of the draw for the -90kg category starts with world champion, Davlat Bobonov (Uzbekistan), while the bottom half is headed by Olympic bronze medallist, Krisztian Toth (Hungary). World silver medallist Ivan Felipe Silveorales (Cuba) and Olympic bronze medallist and world champion, Donghan Hwak (KOR) are two other star names in the division. 

Arman Adamian (AIN), the 2023 World champion at 100kg, will be joined by his teammate Matvey Kanikovskiy, who has just come up through the junior ranks. There are two other former world champions  in the division in Nikoloz Sherzadashvili (Spain) and Asley Gonzalez (Romania), while the men's heavyweight boasts two world title holders in Inal Tasoev (AIN) and Andy Granda (Cuba), who are the top two seeds. 

Two-time world champion Kim Minjong (Korea) is followed by two-time Olympic bronze medallist Rafael Silva (Brazil), while Olympic bronze medallist, Tamerlan Bashaev (AIN) and world silver medallist Ushangi Kokauri (Azerbaijan) are also added on the list. At the very end of this long list is a familiar name appears, someone who we have not seen for five years - former European bronze medallist and Masters winner Ilie Daniel Natea (Romania). 

The Romanian giant had switched to SAMBO and achieved great results, becoming European Champion in 2019, two-time World Medallist and two-time Beach SAMBO World Champion. He recently took part in the 2023 World Sambo Championships in Yerevan in November, where he won the silver medal. 

Japan will also be sending a young squad to the Grand Prix and it is clear that every member of the team will be a serious threat to the stars in Portugal.