Three tournaments, one strong team, perfect start to the tournament season
A very special period lies behind us with the 2026 Easter tournaments. In the space of just two weeks, we were able to host three international tournaments: the SOCCACUP Izola from 28 to 31 March, the SOCCACUP Lago di Garda from 3 to 6 April and the SOCCACUP Lago di Garda – Girls Edition from 9 to 12 April. We can look back on intensive but very successful tournament days.
The tournament kicked off with our SOCCACUP Izola on the Slovenian Adriatic coast. This tournament deliberately focussed on a special format: international friendly matches, targeted training sessions, team challenges and longer playing times were intended to combine sporting competition and real development. For the teams, this meant around 300 minutes of match and training time per team, 3 to 4 matches, 2+ additional training sessions and an intensive weekend in a new, performance-orientated setting.
Just a few days later, the next exclamation mark followed with the SOCCACUP Lago di Garda in Sirmione. The already established tournament offered everything a footballer’s heart desires. A total of 40+ teams, 600+ players, 400+ fans and spectators, five age groups and six participating nations made the Easter weekend on Lake Garda a real highlight.
With the SOCCACUP Lago di Garda – Girls Edition, we concluded this Easter block with a tournament that makes us particularly proud. After last year’s premiere, we were able to further expand the girls’ tournament. 28 teams from six nations, 400+ players, 200+ fans and spectators as well as competitions in three age groups show how much potential there is in this format. We are proud to give girls’ football a strong stage within our tournament portfolio.
But what makes this first major tournament block really special for us is not just what happened on the pitch. Above all, it’s what’s behind it. In addition to our permanent SOCCACUP team with Sophie, Laurenz and Fasti, a total of 12 other colleagues from the headquarters and from our countries lent a hand on site. This constellation in particular shows what makes us special as an organisation: we work together across locations, take responsibility for each other and pull together in intensive phases. The fact that all three tournaments were so successful is therefore above all a team effort that we can be very proud of.
Our Easter tournaments have once again shown that our formats work, that our local teams deliver and that together we can create experiences that will be remembered by clubs, players, families and fans far beyond football.
And it is precisely with this tailwind that we are now looking ahead: the next tournaments in Regensburg, Rosenheim and Rovinj are already waiting. After this strong start to Easter, we are really looking forward to it.
