EUROPEADA 2016 in South Tyrol

The EUROPEADA 2016, the football championships of the autochthonous national minorities, will be organised in South Tyrol in 2016.

The region, which took home the title twice in 2008 and in 2012, had applied for organising the third edition of the European championships and won the bid.

South Tyrol will be the next host, after the EUROPEADA took place at the Romansh in Switzerland in 2008 and at the Sorbs in Germany in 2012. 

“South Tyrol is a region full of football fans that is investing strongly in its own football talents. That leads to very good achievements and was one of the reasons that our German-speaking team was able to win the first two EUROPEADA titles. And now we are looking forward to organising the tournament in South Tyrol, together with the Ladin team. Of course we hope we can again defend the championship “dahoam” (at home), said the South Tyrolean FUEN Vice President and leader of the organising team Martha Stocker with a twinkle in her eyes.

Bernhard Ziesch, also FUEN Vice President and the organiser of 2012, symbolically passed over the baton from the German region of Lusatia to South Tyrol. He is certain that we can expect a successful football festival and a European highlight for 2016. All the minorities and their teams should not wait too long and start their preparations.

FUEN President Hans Heinrich Hansen adds that the European Minority Football Championships of 2012 set a new standard and succeeded in enthusing the entire region. The positive energy will move on to South Tyrol. We thank South Tyrol – our reliable partner – for their nomination.

In the EUROPEADA of 2012, there were 19 teams competing for the title, among them the German-speaking South Tyroleans, the Ladins and the Cimbrians. In the stadiums 20,000 people enjoyed the games, and another 20,000 followed the live-broadcast of the sports event.

The organiser of the European football championships is the Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN), which is the European representative organisation of the minorities, with circa 90 member organisations from 32 countries.