The first final on Sunday was played in Palamós, at the Municipal Stadium, and saw Atlético de Madrid crowned champions of the U14 category after defeating LA Galaxy in a narrow 1-0 victory.

The only goal of the match came in the first half, scored by Marco Zoran Ivackovic. Atlético controlled the game in the second half, but in the final play, the North American side had a chance to force penalties, which was saved by goalkeeper Hugo Molina.

With this victory, the Madrid team successfully defended their title from last year in this category. Daniel Antonio Ortega’s side reached the final after finishing first in their group and eliminating teams such as Juventus FC and FC Andorra. Justin Díaz, forward for LA Galaxy, was the top scorer of the U14 tournament with 9 goals.

Valencia Féminas CF have been crowned champions in the women’s (F16) category after defeating Futfem Talents Academy (0-1).

Bárbara Igual scored the winning goal. The Valencia team had a flawless tournament, scoring 19 goals and conceding none in 5 matches. This is Valencia’s first trophy in the women’s category at MICFootball.

In the U12A category, Barça has defeated Madrid in the “mini Clasico” of Spanish youth football.

The match was decided by a goal from Marc Ribera in the first half. Two years later, the Blaugrana revalidate the title of this category and become number 25 in their MIC honours.

In the U12-B category, AFC Ajax convincingly defeated Santutxu FC of Bilbao (0-5). Goals from Jayce Helder (2), Owen Waarts, Jesiah Mac-Donald, and Sabir Rahhou confirmed the Dutch side’s dominance. This is AFC Ajax’s third title in the history of the MIC.

This year’s MICFootball tournament was presented in the Girona Provincial Council’s plenary hall, with Àlex Moreno, a player for Girona FC’s first team and the tournament’s patron, in attendance, along with Pau Cubarsí and Kika Nazareth, who had attended the presentation in Barcelona.

Àlex Moreno recalled his experience as a MIC player in 2010 with Fundació Atlètic Vilafranca. “It was an incredible experience. Leaving your hometown and surrounding area to play against such great and talented teams and national squads as China and Brazil,” Moreno reminisced, adding, “We beat China on penalties, and in the quarterfinals, we faced Brazil and lost; they were very good.” The Girona FC player also stated that he is “very proud to be back here and to be the godfather of the MIC.”

The presentation was also attended by the Deputy Delegate of the Spanish Government 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 hosting the championship, sponsors, and collaborators also attended the event, which served to reveal all the details of this edition.

A record-breaking year and a history with more than 100,000 players

For the third consecutive year, MICFootball will surpass the 400 registered teams and 8,000 players mark. The 24th edition will boast record participation and a star-studded lineup. Across 10 categories, from U12 A to U19, including a women’s category and an inclusive category for athletes with disabilities, there will be a total of 482 teams from over forty countries across five continents. This high level of participation will mean more matches than ever before in the Girona region—more than 1,200.

The 24th edition of MICFootball will be special for many reasons. Beyond being the year before its 25th anniversary, it will mark a milestone for the tournament as the event surpasses 100,000 participating players in its history.   

Iconic names like Leo Messi, Neymar Jr., Carvajal, Marcelo, Rodri, Cole Palmer, Lamine Yamal, and Salah are on this list of MICPlayers who are part of our history. However, Joan, Mike, Gianluca, David, Carla, Ben, and thousands of other players also have their names engraved in the competition’s hall of fame.   

More than one hundred thousand different paths that began in the same place: MICFootball. Stories of overcoming adversities, dreams that have come true, unique experiences, and life-changing opportunities, all with football as the common thread.  

This Holy Week, the Costa Brava will add more than 8,500 players to a figure that is already a milestone for the tournament—enough to fill the largest stadiums on the planet. In this upcoming edition, we will welcome players from 42 countries, proving that the tournament remains a global benchmark.  

Only a few days remain until the start of the 24th edition, which will bring together more than 480 teams from around the world. Once again, the Costa Brava will host what has become a classic international event during Holy Easter week.  

Up to forty-five municipalities will have the privilege of hosting the world’s best youth football, and the stands of the 60 stadiums will be packed with fans eager to enjoy the high-level matches taking place. 

The tournament will be available to watch, upon registration, via free streaming on the MICFootball TV platform (www.micfootballtv.com). Additionally, Movistar+, Gol, Esport3, and La Xarxa will also broadcast select matches from the competition.  

The tournament’s own platform will broadcast all the matches played on the ten fields where the cameras will be installed: Figueres (Vilatenim), Pals, L’Escala, Sant Feliu de Guíxols (Vilartagues), Roses (Mas Oliva), Vidreres, Arbúcies, Lloret de Mar, Sant Antoni de Calonge 1, and Tossa de Mar.   

Teams that are not playing in these stadiums and want their games to be streamed so they can be enjoyed from anywhere in the world will have to hire the exclusive streaming service offered by Net Stream TV by sending an email to netstreamtv23@gmail.com or by calling +34 629 87 23 06. 

Regarding the different television channels covering the MICFootball, please note the following: Esport3 will broadcast some of the U14 Final Phase matches, which will be played on April 3 and 4. For its part, Movistar+ will broadcast some of the U12A Final Stage matches, which will be played on April 3, 4, and 5. These two channels will be joined by Gol and La Xarxa, which will broadcast the finals of the tournament’s nine categories.  

 

 

Una publicación compartida de MICFootball (@micfootball)

With just one week to go before the start of the tournament where the future stars are born, the organizers have already announced the dates for the finals in all categories.  

Once again, Palamós and Figueres will host the matches that will determine the champions of the 24th edition.  

On Saturday, April 4, the Estadi de Palamós-Costa Brava will host the finals for the U12B, U12A, and F16 categories, in that order, during an afternoon session starting at 4:30 p.m. In addition, Vidreres will also host the final of the MIC Integra, the category for players with disabilities, which will be played entirely on Saturday. 

Sunday, April 5, will be a busy day as the remaining six tournament finals will be played. Figueres will host the decisive matches for the U13, U15, and U19 categories at the Estadi de Vilatenim starting at 10:00 a.m.  

Meanwhile, the Estadi de Palamós-Costa Brava will host the finals for the U14, U16, and U18 categories. This series of matches will begin at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday.  

Admission is free, though tickets must be picked up at the ticket offices of the respective stadiums to attend the tournament finals. Capacity will be limited to the maximum allowed at both venues.  

MICFootball 2026 will officially kick off next Wednesday, April 1, with the traditional opening ceremony at the Estadi de Vilatenim. That day, more than 7,000 people will be in Figueres to witness the start of an edition in which 1,200 matches will be played over five days.  

The stadium gates will open at 10 a.m., and from that moment on, Pol Corredoira and Héctor Huguet will liven up the ceremony with music and audience engagement until its conclusion.  

The opening ceremony will kick off at 11:00 AM with an exhibition match between FC Barcelona and AS Roma’s U16 teams, which will be broadcast live on MICFootballTV and Esport3.  

Once the match is over, the atmosphere in the stands will begin to heat up, creating an incredible festive atmosphere that, year after year, exceeds the expectations of the attendees. This is when the traditional flag parade will begin, with the participation of representatives from the 482 participating teams and the 42 nationalities present at the tournament.  

Before the ceremony concludes, the dance group Dance Me will perform a synchronized and energetic choreography that will leave everyone speechless. Finally, the authorities present at the stadium will say a few words to mark the official start of MICFootball 2026.  

Tickets

All teams participating in MICFootball 2026, 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.

The CosmoCaixa Science Museum in Barcelona was the setting for the presentation of the 24th edition of the international grassroots football tournament MICFootball (MIC-Mediterranean International Cup) this afternoon, which was attended by Pau Cubarsí & Kika Nazareth, footballers from the first men’s and women’s teams of FC Barcelona.

The competition will take place between March 31 and April 5 in more than 40 municipalities in the Girona region and will do so, again, with a record participation of 464 teams. The more than 8,500 registered players will be divided into 9 categories, one of them women’s, to play 1,143 matches in around sixty fields. The Vilatenim stadium in Figueres will once again host the opening ceremony and will repeat, together with Palamós, as the venue for the finals that will be held between Saturday and Sunday of that week.

Recognized as one of the most prestigious grassroots football tournaments in the world and with a history that goes back more than two decades, the 2026 MICFootball has once again had top-level footballers as ambassadors. Pau Cubarsí, who participated in the 2019, 2022 and 2023 editions of the MIC wearing the Barça shirt, explained that, for him, the MIC is “something spectacular. A week away from home with your friends and playing football, which is what we like the most. And above all if you can win, it is something incredible”. Cubarsí also recommended that the players who will participate in the tournament “enjoy themselves, it is an experience that will accompany them for the rest of their lives”. For her part, Kika Nazareth also encouraged the players to enjoy playing, “for me it is the most important thing, because when you don’t enjoy football, things don’t go well. So enjoy yourself and smile”.

Today’s presentation also included the participation of Abel Garcia, Secretary General of the Department of Sports of the Generalitat; David Bellver and Maite Colomer, president and director of MICFootball; Jordi Masquef, Deputy for Sports of the Girona Provincial Council, First Vice-President of the Costa Brava-Girona Tourist Board and Mayor of Figueres; Carolina Hernández, Sponsorship Manager of CaixaBank, and Valentí Farràs, director of CosmoCaixa.