Setting the Course for the Future of EUROPEADA

On 11 March 2025, the first online meeting of the newly established EUROPEADA expert group took place. This group was created following the evaluation of EUROPEADA 2024 and was officially launched during the FUEN Congress 2024 in Husum/Hüsem (Germany). Its goal is the further development of EUROPEADA, the football tournament of the autochthonous national minorities in Europe.

The EUROPEADA, which will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2028 (having held five tournaments so far), has grown into a major sporting event for Europe’s minority communities, with record numbers of participating men’s and women’s teams. To preserve the sporting competition, cultural programme, and the unique "EUROPEADA spirit" in the years to come, experts are working together on a strategic direction for the tournament’s future.

The expert group meeting was attended by former organisers and delegation leaders of participating teams. In total, more than 30 people from around 20 European minority communities took part in the session. A key focus was the close cooperation with the organisers of EUROPEADA 2028, who are actively involved in the process.

The sixth edition of EUROPEADA is set to take place in the summer of 2028 (expected dates: 25 June – 2 July) in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region in northeastern Italy. The hosts are FUEN member organisations representing the Slovenian and Friulian communities in Italy – the Council of Slovenian Organisations, the Slovenian Cultural and Economic Union, and the Friulian Philological Society.

Following the last EUROPEADA, which was held in 2024 in the German-Danish border region, the tournament will now return to southern Europe and, for the first time, be hosted in a Mediterranean region. The men’s and women’s matches will be played in 13 different locations across the region, spanning from the Alps to the Adriatic. The opening ceremony is planned to take place in Trieste/Trst/Triest, while the final matches will be held in Gurize/Gorizia/Gorica/Görz.

The high level of interest in the EUROPEADA – from both participating teams and host regions – demonstrates the ongoing significance of the tournament. Additionally, efforts are being made to strengthen cooperation with UEFA to further advance the development of the event.

The online meeting on 11 March marked the beginning of a structured work process, during which concrete guidelines for the future direction of the EUROPEADA will be developed by the end of the year.