At a press conference held today, Friday, March 18, 2026, at the Ayia Napa Marina Event Centre, the program and details of the 24th McDonald's Ayia Napa Youth Soccer Festival were presented, an event that has become an institution for the city of Ayia Napa and for sports in Cyprus.
This year’s event will take place at the Ayia Napa Municipality Sports Complex from Saturday 4th to Thursday 9th April 2026, on 16 specially designed and separated football pitches. Approximately 350 different age groups with over 4.000 children are participating in the festival, ranking the event at the top as the largest of its kind in Cyprus and one of the largest in Europe. The age categories cover Grassroots children up to 12 years old, as well as young people from 13 to 17 years old, while this year separate tournaments for girls U11, U13 and under 15 years old are included, promoting the development of women’s football and giving equal sports opportunities to all children.
As reported at the press conference, the event is expected to attract over 20.000 spectators, mainly parents and children's companions, bringing vitality to the city and boosting local tourism. Despite the cancellations of foreign teams due to international developments, approximately 15 teams from abroad will participate, maintaining contact with international academies for future events. From Cyprus, over 500 coaches and officials will accompany the teams, while 80 referees and 20 medical and security personnel will cover the matches.
The press conference was attended by the Deputy Mayor of the Ayia Napa Municipal District, Mr. Antonis Christou, on behalf of the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Mr. Christou, who is absent abroad, who highlighted the importance of the festival for sports and tourism in the region, emphasizing that Ayia Napa is a modern and reliable destination for international sports events with modern infrastructure, excellent organization and quality hospitality.
He also noted that the organization actively contributes to strengthening sports tourism, stimulating the local economy and extending the tourist season, while at the same time offering children the opportunity to dream, develop and create lifelong bonds through sports.
He assured the Municipality's continued support for actions that promote youth, cultivate the ethos and values of sports and strengthen cooperation and respect, giving children the opportunity to love the sport and gain important life experiences.
Mr. Christou expressed his warm thanks to the organizers, sponsors, partners and volunteers, emphasizing that their contribution is crucial to the success of the event.
"Ayia Napa continues to move forward with vision, self-confidence and extroversion, investing in actions that create value for society and the future of the place," he concluded.
