By Ritam Dey in Madrid, Spain
St. Xavier’s Collegiate School from Park Street, Calcutta, has made history by becoming the first-ever Indian youth team to take part in MADCUP Football 2025—the fifth edition of the largest federated international tournament for grassroots football. The tournament will be held in Madrid, Spain, in June 2025.
The young Kolkata side will compete against some of the biggest names in world football, facing youth teams from Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Juventus, Sevilla, Sporting CP, Leganés, and other global academies.
The tournament, hosted by Atlético Madrid in association with the Government of the Community of Madrid, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), and UN Tourism, will take place across 32 sports facilities in Madrid. Iconic venues such as the Atlético de Madrid Sports Centre, Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid, and Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas will host matches.
The St. Xavier’s contingent is set to arrive in Madrid in June, ahead of the tournament’s start on the 20th. Their participation has been coordinated by Father Principal and Vice Principal, with guidance from faculty members Mr. Farino Torcato and Mr. Romario Topno.
‘Trak Only’, the kit partner of East Bengal FC, Odisha FC, and NorthEast United FC, will be the official kit partner for St. Xavier’s in the tournament. With nearly 250,000 spectators in the previous edition, this opportunity will provide invaluable global exposure to the young players. It also marks another significant step in Indian grassroots football’s expansion on the global stage, allowing young players to experience modern football technologies such as Video Assistant Referees (VAR) and gain recognition at the Women’s Gala of the Football Federation.
MADCUP 2024 featured teams from 34 countries across five continents, including the academies of the Brazilian national team, Independiente of Ecuador, and other football powerhouses from Latin America, Eastern Asia, and Europe. The event also included a grand ceremony at the Metropolitano Stadium—home of Atlético de Madrid—attended by over 26,000 people. This year’s tournament continues its mission to promote youth sports as an educational platform. With support from the University of Alcalá and other institutions, MADCUP aims to instil values such as respect, hard work, and teamwork through sport. Each edition also attracts significant coverage from Spanish and international media, with MARCA and Movistar serving as the tournament’s leading media partners in Spain.
With MADCUP’s official confirmation on Tuesday, 25th February, on its social media handles, St. Xavier’s Collegiate School became the first Indian team to be announced for this year’s competition. The school holds a historic place in Indian football, having competed in prestigious tournaments such as the Durand Cup and IFA Shield multiple times before India’s independence. In 1911, Mohun Bagan famously defeated St. Xavier’s 3-0 in the first round, paving the way for their historic IFA Shield triumph by the ‘Immortal 11 of Maidan’.
As history once again knocks on the doors of Xaverian pride, Madrid—often referred to as the ‘Capital of Youth Football’—eagerly awaits the first-ever Indian side to compete in MADCUP.
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