ISF President Builds on Historic 2025 and Looks Ahead of Exciting 2026

Following a year of significant growth, our President shares his thoughts on ISF’s progress in 2025 and a glimpse of what’s to come in 2026.

“The ISF goes from strength to strength and builds on the achievement of 2025, while looking ahead of an exciting 2026.

Earlier in the year, we held our European Championships in Moldova, and we are all supremely grateful to our Moldovan friends and colleagues for producing another outstanding tournament.

Another ground-breaking achievement was realising over one hundred club teams in our TUI Champions League event in Crete in October, and we also send our congratulations to our colleagues in Crete who made this such an unforgettable event.

This event also marked a major milestone in that it was our first event sponsored by our global partner, TUI, and we look forward to many years of a mutually beneficial association with such an important worldwide brand.

In December, we descended on Cancún, Mexico for the premier event of the year, our 6-a-side TUI World Championship.

Our Mexican partners produced a stunning stadium incorporating local vegetation within the design, and a lighting show at both the opening and closing ceremony of the event which was, quite simply, the best there has ever been at any small-sided event in the world.

Poland, perennial bridesmaids at so many major events over the years, finally broke their duck and won their first World Championship, and we send our congratulations to them.

Another feature of 2025, was the launch of our new Socca App.

For the first time, people from anywhere in the world can watch our live games, as they happen in any of our tournaments.

2026 will bring further enhancements and major changes to what we do.

Firstly, our new Socca App is being developed so that in the Spring, we will be delivering bespoke versions for any of our members, without charge, so they can use the App in their own country, to promote their own leagues and tournaments.

This is a multi-million-pound tool which nobody else can offer in the small-sided market.

We will also be revolutionising the way our members can enter events, being able to do so through both our website and the app, and with a range of products and services they can buy online fort each event.

In May, our colleagues from Albania will be taking over the mantle from Moldova and hosting the fourth-edition of our European Championships in Tirana, Albania, and we will shortly be making announcements on the destination of the 6-a-side World Championships that will be taking place this year.

One thing that we also intend to do, is expand our offering in both 5-a-side and 7-a-side formats and create global prestigious tournaments in both these formats to complement our existing 6 a side event.

Small-sided football continues to remain dominant as the most played ball sport in the world.

The sport is named many different things; 6v6 in the Americas areas, 5-a-side, 6-a-side, and 7-a-side in Western Europe, Mini football in Eastern Europe, and Sixes in other areas of the world.

All these various brands unite under our global federation of Socca, and we remain in active discussions with many of these brand including many professional brands that have popped up in recent times, as they all look to affiliate to us as the world governing body.

The International Socca Federation continues to go from strength to strength, and I look forward to meeting with many of our members again in 2026, listening to your needs, and developing our fantastic sport throughout the world.”