Earlier this year EMF Executive Committee decided to change the structure of the Champions League from a 64 team tournament to 32 teams. The reasoning was to improve the level of play and to ensure that only national champions participate in the event, or runners up of the top ranked EMF countries.
Even though this decision was important for the sporting development of European minifootball, it meant that many European minifootball teams would not have the opportunity to play in an EMF event on the international level.
For this reason the EUROCUP was created, to secure the participation of at least 80 top European minifootball club teams in a European championship.
Similar to UEFA Europa League, the EMF EUROCUP will see many top level teams who didn’t win the national Championship. Each national association will determine the qualification criteria for the EUROCUP and in some countries will send their regional champions or national champions finalists.
This year the EUROCUP will take place between September 12th-15th in northern Italy in Lignano Sabbiadoro on the Adriatic coast, one hour drive from the Slovenian and Croatian border. Apart from being the top beach destination in the Italian northern Adriatic, the location will enable many teams from central Europe and the Balkans access by car.
The matches and the official teams’ accommodation will be in the scenic Bella Italia hotel and beach resort, with the minifootball pitches situated with 5 minutes walk from an amazing sandy beach. Part of the EMF’s new startegy is to ensure that club events take place in a touristic beach location where teams can enjoy the event beyond the matches themselves. The EUROCUP in Bella Italia continues the trend of minifootball events in 2019 together with the Champions League in Rimini and the Euro Business Cup in Antalya.
Bella Italia Resort in Lignano Sabbiadoro
The event will be for 48 teams, but the EMF might enlarge the tournament depending on the number of teams that the national association will want to send. Within one month EMF will also decide if the EUROCUP will have a Women category, also depending on the requests from the national associations. More updates will follow.
If your team is interested in playing please contact us and we will check your eligibility with the national associations.
EMF Women competition from last year’s Mini4EU – to be repeated in EMF EUROCUP?
