English – MICFOOTBALL

A goal from midfield gave UE Figueres the victory, which lifted the U19 youth category title after narrowly beating Deportivo Alavés (1-0).

The duel was fairly even, with the team from Empordà holding up very well in defense and their rival having more of the ball, but without creating any clear chances to try to unbalance the score. Until the 44th minute, when there was only half a dozen minutes left, Èric Torres saw the rival goalkeeper advance and tried his luck from midfield with a first-touch shot that ended up going into the back of the goal.

Despite losing the opening match against Villarreal CF, UE Figueres qualified for the final phase. There, they eliminated FC Sant Pere Pescador and Impactus Football consecutively on penalties, before beating CF Les Franqueses and ESS in the subsequent rounds.

Atlético de Madrid closed out MICFootball 2025 with a historic treble, winning the U14, U15, and U16 categories.

FINAL U14

Goals from Kalilou Sangaré and Adrián Díaz-Jiménez, one in each half, allowed Atlético de Madrid to beat FC Andorra and thus be crowned champions of the U14 MICFootball children’s category in the final played in Palamós. After a fairly even first few minutes, Sangaré broke the balance by finishing from the penalty area with a lateral cross. FC Andorra tried with a corner kick that was not finished. In the second half, Adrián Díaz-Jiménez extended the advantage for the Madrid team, who played the last minutes with a man less due to the expulsion of Iván Castellanos, who saw two yellow cards. In the final moments, FC Andorra enjoyed two good chances to close the gap but between the lack of accuracy and the rival goalkeeper, the score did not move.

Excellent track record for Atlético de Madrid, who have only conceded one goal in the entire tournament and have been unbeaten in the 8 matches they have played. Leader of their group, they have overcome Atlético Bisbalenc, Baskauri, Girona FC (on penalties) and Sporting Braga in the semi-finals in the subsequent qualifiers.

FINAL U15

Atlético de Madrid scored just one goal to win the U15 cadet final against Real Sociedad, played in Figueres. The final 0-1 came early, in the 8th minute, when Alexandru Grigorii beat the visiting goalkeeper. It was one of the few clear chances in the entire match, although the Madrid team could have increased the lead in the second half, in a good approach that the goalkeeper denied with his chest. With a lot of play in midfield, Atlético dominated most of the final, which saw its advantage on the scoreboard practically never threatened.

The team coached by Borja Resurrección ends its participation in MICFootball without having lost a single match and without having conceded a single goal in the entire competition. Leader of the group stage, it has been overcoming qualifiers, beating rivals such as Kaptiva Sports Academy, BD FC, FC Andorra (on penalties) and FC Shakhtar Donetsk.

FINAL U16

Sunday was a great day for Atlético de Madrid, who have won the three finals they have played in. The third and final of the day, held in Palamós, was decided on penalties after reaching the end of regulation time with the score tied (1-1). The first goal of the match came very early, in the 2nd minute, when Alejandro Cabrera hooked a dead ball that the Barça defence was unable to deny. The powerful shot surprised the goalkeeper and went close to the left post.

FC Barcelona reacted, taking advantage of a penalty committed on Michal Zuk to equalise thanks to Ismael Ziani, who was responsible for converting the maximum penalty by deceiving the goalkeeper. They created new opportunities to confirm the comeback, such as a free kick after fifteen minutes that hit the crossbar, or two shots at the start of the second half that narrowly missed. But Atlético de Madrid also came close to scoring, especially when in the 35th minute an acrobatic shot failed to find the back of the miracle goal. In the penalty shootout, the Madrid team was much more successful (1-3).

Undefeated in the group stage, where they won all three of their matches by a goal, Atlético eliminated rivals such as AEC Manlleu, Junior FC, CD El Rumbo and RCD Espanyol on their way to the 2025 MICFootball, the latter in the semi-finals.

The first final on Sunday was played in Figueres, at the Vilatenim Stadium, and allowed Valencia CF to be crowned champions of the U13 children’s category, ahead of FC Andorra in a match full of goals (4-2).

Most of them came in a first half marked by substitutions. Sergio Revert put Valencia ahead, but just a minute later Martí Carreres equalised the score again. Ginés Sánchez made it 2-1 while Ferran Ordeig equalised again. The score at half-time was 3-2 thanks to Orazaly Gabidolla’s goal before half-time. In the second half, Valencia CF not only maintained their lead, but also extended it thanks to a goal by Sergio Revert to make it 4-2.

First in their group with three wins in the first three matches, the Valencian team has been defeated in the subsequent qualifiers by IF Brommapojkarna, CEF Gironès Sàbat, Aibyn and PSV Eindhoven.

Two of their players, Orazaly Gabidolla and Sergio Revert, who have seen goal in today’s final, have been among the three top scorers in the U13 category with 9 goals each.

UE Quart, a team from the Girona region, has defeated Uruguayan Albion FC in the final of the U18 youth category that took place at the Palamós Costa Brava Municipal Stadium.

After a fairly even first half, the score was broken by Eudald Morell in the 8th minute, when he connected a cross from the right. The second goal was almost scored in a move, still in the first half, that ended with a shot that grazed the post. Albion also enjoyed some good opportunities, especially when in the 21st minute they tried it with a shot that narrowly missed the target. The verdict came after the break with a goal from Joel Güell, who left the goalkeeper halfway out. The Uruguayan team tried until the last second and could have reduced the gap in the 38th minute, but they were unsuccessful in the final meters.

UE Quart has not lost a single match in its entire participation in this year’s MIC. It passed the group stage with many victories and then eliminated, in the subsequent rounds, Qingdao, Kessié FC Academy, Olympique de Marseille and RCD Mallorca, the latter overcoming it in the penalty shootout.

Banyoles will once again be the venue for the Pre-MICFootball, a competition that will take place on Tuesday, April 15th at the Camp d’Esports Municipal Vell.

This event will once again serve to warm up the engines of the 23rd edition of the MICFootball (MIC-Mediterranean International Cup) grassroots football tournament, which will be played in 43 municipalities in the Girona region between April 16th and 20th, coinciding with Easter. The Pre-MICFootball is a one-day tournament in which cadet category clubs (U15 and U16) from various countries will participate. They will coincide with the two host teams, Club Esportiu Banyoles and Atlètic Club Banyoles, who will repeat the experience of recent years. This 2025 will be joined by TSV Bayer Dormagen from Germany, BD FC from South Korea, Eastern FC from the United States and Wakatake from Japan.

Maite Colomer, director of MICFootball, states that “we are very happy to be able to collaborate for another edition with Banyoles, which years ago already had the initiative to offer the opportunity to play a small preliminary tournament to those teams that arrive with more days of margin and that need to compete before the MIC begins”. She adds that “it is a preliminary and positive competition for all parties, which only lasts one day and will feature the two host teams and others from all over the world”.

For Miquel Noguer, mayor of Banyoles, “the PreMIC is a stimulus for the players of our city and the entire region. We are very pleased to be able to enjoy it for another year because it gives a helping hand to a municipality like ours, which is further away from the coast and which, a priori, is more difficult to host MIC matches. It is a help for those teams that come from a long way away, that arrive earlier in our country and that have the need to train, play and compete”.

On Tuesday, April 15, from 4 pm, the matches of the first phase will begin, each lasting 25 minutes. The six participating teams will be divided into two groups. The first matches of the Pre-MICFootball will be Atlètic Banyoles-TSV Bayer Dormagen and CE Banyoles-Eastern FC. Once this phase is over, the top finishers in each group will face off in the final, scheduled for 7:15 p.m.

The 23rd edition of the international youth football tournament MICFootball (MIC-Mediterranean International Cup) will be the largest in history, with 444 teams playing 1,092 matches in 43 municipalities in the province of Girona. Riells i Viabrea, Jafre, and Palau-Saverdera are the venues joining in 2025.

The more than 8,000 players participating will be divided into nine age categories. More pitches than ever (59) will host the competition, which will take place from April 16 to 20, once again coinciding with Easter. This year’s MICFootball was presented in the Sessions Hall of the Girona Provincial Council in the presence of forward Cristian Stuani, footballer and captain of the Girona FC first team and sponsor of the tournament.

Miquel Noguer, president of the Girona Provincial Council, stated that “the MIC is a perfect combination that generates synergies between the event and our region. Beyond the great qualitative contribution to our tourism sector, it also makes the dreams of young footballers from our home teams, regardless of their age group, come true, allowing them to face the world’s biggest clubs.”

Stuani, MICFootball’s ambassador in Girona

One of this year’s sponsors is forward Cristian Stuani, who explained what it means for a footballer to play in a tournament with the characteristics of MICFootball. “It’s a pleasure, a privilege, and an honor to be part of this edition of the tournament. Being able to support an initiative like this, which has become a World Cup for youth categories, is spectacular. I put myself in the shoes of the boys and girls who will play in the MIC; their simplicity and passion for this sport remind me of when I was little. I was crazy about soccer, and the ball was my joy,” said the Uruguayan. He also looked back on his time as a player with the Montilivi club: “When I signed, I never imagined I would be able to experience such a journey or such wonderful things. I was very excited to join a club that still had so much to achieve. And it’s true that I’ve had options to leave, but I’ve always been happy and comfortable in a city that has welcomed me. The relationship with the club and with Girona has become a bond that’s hard to break, and I don’t regret having decided to stay here all this time.”

The presentation was also attended by the Spanish Government’s sub-delegate in Girona, Pere Parramon; the president and director of MICFootball, David Bellver and Maite Colomer; the territorial representative of Sport in Girona, Narcís Casassa; and the director of Institutions at CaixaBank in Girona, Gemma Batlle. Mayors and councilors from the municipalities that will host the championship, as well as sponsors and collaborators, also attended an event that served to announce all the details of this edition.

MICFootball will kick off its 23rd edition next Wednesday, April 16th with an opening ceremony that will take place at the Vilatenim Stadium (Figueres).

The moment you are waiting for is just around the corner. Next Wednesday, April 16th, MICFootball 2025 will begin with the opening ceremony, which will once again take place at the Vilatenim Stadium in Figueres.

At 10:30am, the opening day will begin with the ball as the main protagonist. FC Barcelona and Arsenal FC in the U16 category will play a friendly match. The match can be followed on Televisió de Catalunya and on MICFootball TV.

At the end of this first match, the traditional flag parade will begin (11:30am), which this year will have 44 countries represented and 444 teams, a record number of participants in the tournament. Immediately afterwards, the Dance Me group of dancers will give a special welcome on the pitch with a performance that promises to be spectacular.

At the end of the opening ceremony, the teams will return to their hotels to have lunch, rest and prepare for their respective first MICFootball matches, which will be played on Wednesday, April 16 in the afternoon. This will be the starting shot for the group stage.

Access to the stadium

All teams participating in MICFootball 2025, whether or not they are staying with the organization, have guaranteed access to the Stadium as long as they have confirmed their decision to attend to the event. The rest of the public will have to wait for the availability of capacity to access it.

FC Barcelona player Dani Olmo was the honored ambassador during the MICFootball presentation event held this Tuesday at CosmoCaixa.

Olmo recalled his experience at MICFootball, a tournament he played three times (2010, 2012, and 2014)… and which he wasn’t fortunate enough to win.

“The best memory isn’t the photo with the trophy because I didn’t win any. But the U12 final in Palamós against Atlético was special. I scored a goal, but we lost 4-2. The experience leaves a lasting mark on you. These are the tournaments everyone wants to play in, participate in, and win. These are tournaments you pay attention to when you’re young. And it’s an experience that leaves a lasting mark on you.”

MICFootball continues its commitment to innovation and accessibility in youth football with a new strategic agreement with E+, which becomes the official Media Partner of the tournament. Thanks to this alliance, some sports facilities in the province of Girona where MICFootball is played will be digitized with automated Artificial Intelligence (AI) cameras, allowing live broadcast of the matches through MICFootball TV, an exclusive space within the E+ platform, managed by ATM MEDIA.

In total, 10 cameras will be installed at different tournament venues, including Lloret de Mar, Sant Feliu de Guíxols – Vilartagues, Vidreres, Roses, Caldes de Malavella, Begur, Pals, L’Escala and Torroella de Montgrí. This digital transformation ensures that all matches played in these fields can be followed live, reinforcing MICFootball’s position as a benchmark in the digitization of grassroots football.

The tournament will have an exclusive channel on E+, the leading platform for broadcasting semi-professional and amateur sports, called MICFootball TV, which will allow players, coaches, families and fans to enjoy every moment of the competition from anywhere in the world and for free.

Another aspect that MICFootball seeks to enhance with the digitalization of its tournament is the sporting legacy of grassroots football, especially local and regional sports. This transformation not only improves the accessibility and visibility of the tournament globally, but also helps to promote the dissemination and recognition of the municipalities of Girona.

According to Maite Colomer, director of MICFootball, “the commitment we make has a clear long-term objective: to be able to offer the more than 1,000 matches of the tournament live. With MICFootball TV we will be able to increase the loyalty of our users, grouping all the broadcasts on a single channel. We firmly believe in digitalization to continue to believe strongly in digitalization”.

According to Matteo Samaranch, Business Director of ATM MEDIA, “this agreement propels MIC into the future, thanks to the integration of Artificial Intelligence in sports broadcasting. We are excited to collaborate with MICFootball to offer an unparalleled viewing experience, benefiting players, coaches, families and fans.”

This agreement reinforces MICFootball’s vision to continue being one of the best grassroots football tournaments in the world. In addition to ensuring comprehensive coverage of the event, its digitalization will boost the development of football talent and provide greater visibility for young players. With this alliance, MICFootball reaffirms its commitment to innovation and excellence in the organization of grassroots football tournaments.

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On March 10, the draw for the Group Phase of MICFootball 2025 took place. The streaming, which is available through the tournament’s YouTube channel, is breaking audience records with more than 21,000 views and a total of 2,100 simultaneous users.

The 444 participating teams will join their rivals in the Group Phase that will begin on April 16.