The UEFA Friendship Cup 2026: Everything you need to know
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Some of the world's best men's under-18 teams will gather in Nyon, Switzerland, for the UEFA Friendship Cup 2026.
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What is the UEFA Friendship Cup?
Launched in May 2024, the annual UEFA Friendship Cup invites men's and women's under-18 national teams from Europe and our sister confederations to participate in eight-team tournaments. For most participants, the competition represents a first taste of international tournament football – and perhaps of a different culture and language.
The UEFA Friendship Cup is part of UEFA’s “UEFA Together” development programme, aimed at sharing expertise and strengthening global football cooperation. It also has a strong off-pitch programme, with cultural visits and workshops for players and coaches.
Who won the women's UEFA Friendship Cup 2026?
The women's UEFA Friendship Cup 2026 took place at the home of the Turkish Football Federation (TFF) in Riva.
Teams were split into two groups of four, playing round-robin fixtures. Play-off matches determined the final rankings, ensuring every game counted.
Paraguay emerged as the winners, defeating Norway 1-0 in the final. Hosts Türkiye finished third after a 3-1 victory against Ethiopia.
When will the men's UEFA Friendship Cup 2026 take place?
The men's UEFA Friendship Cup 2026 will get underway on Thursday 24 September with matchday 1, with the finals set to take place on Saturday 3 October.
Under-18 national teams hailing from five of the world's six football confederations will compete in the third edition of the Men's UEFA Friendship Cup:
- AFC (Asia): Korea Republic
- CAF (Africa): Côte d'Ivoire and Egypt
- Concacaf (North and Central America): Canada
- CONMEBOL (South America): Brazil and Colombia
- UEFA (Europe): England and Spain
Where can I catch up on the tournament?
Every match is available to watch on the UEFA YouTube channel and UEFA.tv.
How does the Friendship Cup differ from UEFA's other competitions?
Like our other youth competitions, the UEFA Friendship Cup offers young players an important opportunity to test themselves against other nations and styles of football. Experts also run educational sessions on important topics such as anti-doping and anti-match-fixing.
However, the tournament is far more than just a football competition. For the players and coaches who travel to each edition, we ensure what happens off the pitch makes a lasting impact on the participants' personal development. Between matchdays, they join tours of the local area, experience new places and forge friendships with athletes from different cultures and backgrounds.
Who organises the UEFA Friendship Cup?
The UEFA Friendship Cup is delivered through our UEFA Together development programme, which shares the experiences and knowledge of UEFA and its member associations with FIFA's five other confederations and their associations.
To help facilitate participation, we cover the cost of each team's accommodation and food and contribute to their travel costs. We also provide meeting, kit and medical rooms as well as access to local community training facilities.
Previous editions held in Türkiye have been organised in close collaboration with the Turkish Football Federation, and the 2026 women's edition was no exception.
The partnership provided a win-win scenario for everyone involved: Türkiye's youth national teams gained international exposure, young and talented match officials officiated high quality international matches, and local staff honed their tournament operations skills and built new contacts with federations from outside Europe.