The UEFA Friendship Cup 2025: Everything you need to know
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Some of the world’s most promising Under-18 players, representing Argentina, Australia, France, Japan, Portugal, Senegal, Uruguay and the USA, are travelling to Nyon, Switzerland, to take part in the UEFA Friendship Cup from 1 to 10 June.
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What is the UEFA Friendship Cup?
Launched in Türkiye last year, the annual UEFA Friendship Cup invites men's and women's Under-18 national teams from Europe and our sister confederations to participate in separate eight-team tournaments. For most participants, the competition represents a first taste of international tournament football – and perhaps of a different culture and language.
Where and when is the next tournament taking place?
The men's UEFA Friendship Cup 2025 will take place at Colovray sports centre in Nyon – next door to UEFA's headquarters – with matches on 1, 4, 7 and 10 June.
Four games will be played each day, with teams split into two groups of four and playing round-robin fixtures. Play-off matches on 10 June will determine the final rankings, ensuring that every game counts.
Which teams are competing in the men's UEFA Friendship Cup 2025?
Under-18 national teams hailing from five of the world's six football confederations will compete in this second edition of the men's UEFA Friendship Cup:
- AFC (Asia): Australia, Japan
- CAF (Africa): Senegal
- Concacaf (North and Central America): USA
- CONMEBOL (South America): Argentina, Uruguay
- UEFA (Europe): France, Portugal
The 2025 women's tournament took place earlier this year (in March and April), with teams representing the hosts, Türkiye, and visitors Colombia, Finland, Jamaica, Lebanon, Tanzania, Thailand and Zambia.
How can I watch?
- On-site: anyone can watch the matches in person, free of charge, at Colovray sports centre, which is next door to UEFA's headquarters, on the outskirts of Nyon. No tickets will be issued, with attendance on a first come, first served basis. We recommend using public transport to get to the venue, as parking spaces are limited. Refreshments will be available at a charge.
- Online: all matches will be streamed on UEFA.tv and UEFA's YouTube channel.
How does it differ from UEFA's other competitions?
Like our other youth competitions, the UEFA Friendship Cup offers young players a unique opportunity to test themselves against other styles of football. In addition, UEFA experts will 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 travelling to Nyon, we ensure that what happens off the pitch will leave a lasting legacy for their personal development. Between matchdays, they will join tours of the local area, experiencing new places and, hopefully, forging friendships with athletes from very different cultures and backgrounds. Trips will include an excursion to vineyards overlooking Lake Geneva and a visit to UEFA headquarters.
All the teams will stay and train in local villages, while schools, communes and local football clubs are being invited to watch the games, adding to the tournamen's all-important community feel. After the final matches, everyone will come together for a medal ceremony and barbecue.
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.