United Football Games 2026
- Report -
From 1 to 5 July, the United Football Games returned for their second edition in their current format, following the inaugural tournament held in England in 2024. This year's event took place in Germany and brought together more than 80 players from five nations, all competing for the coveted UFG trophy.
But what exactly are the United Football Games (UFG)?
The mission of UFG is to bring together teenagers and young adults who share a common passion and love for football. At the heart of the event is international and intercultural exchange, built on mutual respect, curiosity and appreciation for one another. Young players are given the opportunity to discover new cultures, get to know people from different countries and build lasting friendships, while spectators are united through the joy of football. The United Football Games are held every two years.
This year, five national teams took part in the tournament: hosts Germany, defending champions England, Spain, France, and Italy, who were reinforced by players from Hungary.
On 1 July, the players, supporters, the UFG team and the event staff gathered at Seminarhaus Neumühle in Bad Camberg, which served as the tournament headquarters, for the official opening ceremony. The evening also featured a live musical performance by Nate Ciamo.
Group Stage
The group stage matches were played on 2 and 3 July at the grass pitch of RSV Weyer. We would like to extend a special thank you to the entire club, especially chairman Roger Barthelmes, whose tremendous support played a vital role in making the tournament possible.
During the group stage, every team faced each other once. Finishing first in the standings meant automatic qualification for the final, making every point and every goal crucial from the very first whistle. The teams finishing second and third would battle for the remaining place in the final, while the bottom two teams would still have the opportunity to qualify for the third-place match.
The tournament got off to a thrilling start. Italy immediately caused the first major upset by defeating England 1–0 in the opening match. The Three Lions had arrived in Germany determined to defend the title they had won in 2024, making Italy's victory all the more remarkable.
Meanwhile, Germany once again found themselves unable to overcome France, just as they had in 2024, with another closely contested draw. Italy then continued their impressive form by defeating Spain in their second match.
That set the stage for the highly anticipated rematch between Germany and England—the 2024 final. Without question, these two sides have become UFG's fiercest rivals. Their rivalry has been shaped not only by previous meetings at the United Football Games but also by the long-standing competitive history between their respective senior national teams. At UFG, however, that rivalry exists exclusively on the pitch in the spirit of fair competition, while away from the game the players share a genuine sense of friendship and brotherhood. The match lived up to every expectation. It was an intensely fought contest featuring numerous fouls, chances for both teams and two very different halves, each largely controlled by one side. In the end, the German hosts edged a dramatic encounter 1–0.
The final match of the day saw France narrowly defeat Spain 2–1, leaving both England and Spain rooted to the bottom of the table without a single point and facing an uphill battle heading into the second day of competition.
The second day of the group stage
saw particularly impressive performances from Germany and England. The team wearing the eagle on their chest moved to the top of the standings with a comfortable victory over Spain, followed by a dramatic last-minute win against Italy. Meanwhile, the Three Lions bounced back in style, defeating both France and Spain to recover from their disappointing opening day.
Italy, on the other hand, struggled to reproduce the form they had shown on day one. After two defeats, they slipped significantly down the standings.
After a total of ten group-stage matches and countless fiercely contested encounters, the final standings were as follows:
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Germany – 10 points
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France – 7 points
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Italy – 6 points
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England – 6 points
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Spain – 0 points
Thanks to their victory in the head-to-head meeting, Italy finished above England despite both teams ending level on points.
Finals Day
Everything was set for an exciting finals day on Saturday, 4 July.
The decisive matches were hosted on the main artificial pitch of FC Alemannia Niederbrechen. We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to everyone at the club for their outstanding support and tireless efforts in helping organize and host the tournament. With the UFG flag flying proudly at the entrance to the ground, the barbecue fired up and the teams gathering beneath their national flags one final time, the stage was perfectly set for an unforgettable conclusion to the tournament.
The opening match of the day featured France and Italy battling for a place in the final. However, Les Bleus left little room for doubt, producing a commanding performance to win 3–1. One of the highlights of the match was a stunning long-range strike by Kenko Wada, a goal that was later voted Goal of the Tournament.
The second semi-final saw Spain face England for a place in the third-place play-off. Despite being severely weakened by injuries, La Furia Roja fought bravely against a strong English side. For a long time, Spain managed to keep the score level and repeatedly threatened on the counter-attack.
The turning point came when the Spanish goalkeeper was shown a red card for handling the ball outside the penalty area while attempting to prevent a goalscoring opportunity. It was an unfortunate moment that left Spain with ten men. Although the Spaniards threw everything they had into the match despite their numerical disadvantage, England remained in complete control and eventually secured a convincing 4–0 victory.
A longer lunch break followed, allowing the players to recover while the many travelling supporters enjoyed barbecued sausages, homemade cakes and a variety of football-themed activities.
The players themselves also took part in several fun challenges, including football golf, the crossbar challenge, a dribbling course and a keepie-uppie competition.
After the lunch break, only the tournament's two biggest matches remained. The first of them was the third-place play-off between England and Italy, who had not faced each other since the tournament's opening match. It was another tightly contested encounter, with both teams proving exactly why they deserved to be playing for a place on the podium. For much of the match, neither side could break the deadlock, and the score remained 0–0. Just a few minutes before full-time, however, the British side finally found the breakthrough and took a 1–0 lead.
With time running out, Italy had no choice but to throw everything forward and take maximum risks in search of an equaliser. Their courage was rewarded in dramatic fashion. Playing in green, the Squadra Azzurra found the equaliser with virtually the last kick of the game. Captain and centre-back Valerio Tammiso forced the ball over the line to make it 1–1, sending the match into extra time.
Once extra time began, one team made it abundantly clear that they had no intention of leaving the outcome to a penalty shootout—England.
The Three Lions pushed relentlessly for the winner and were rewarded just moments before the final whistle, scoring the decisive goal to claim a 2–1 victory. It was a thoroughly deserved third-place finish for England, especially considering the remarkable turnaround after their difficult start on the opening day.
The Grand Final
Then came the match everyone had been waiting for: Germany versus France in the United Football Games 2026 final. Like so many matches throughout the tournament, the final began as a closely fought battle. Strong challenges and physical duels repeatedly led to stoppages as players required treatment for injuries. The first half remained largely even until Germany delighted the home crowd by taking a 1–0 lead shortly before the break. The second half told a different story. Buoyed by home support and their narrow advantage, the German team produced one of their strongest performances of the tournament.
Defensively, they once again proved almost impenetrable. The back line, together with the goalkeeper, was undoubtedly the team's greatest strength throughout the competition. Germany completed the entire tournament without conceding a single goal—an extraordinary achievement and a perfect clean sheet from start to finish. At the other end of the pitch, they added two more goals to seal a convincing 3–0 victory and secure the United Football Games title.
Les Bleus can be immensely proud of their performances. Their runners-up finish was thoroughly deserved after an outstanding tournament.
This year, however, nobody could stop Germany. Just as in 2024, the host nation lifted the United Football Games trophy.
Thank You!
The entire UFG team would like to express its heartfelt gratitude to every volunteer and every member of the event staff who dedicated so much time, passion and effort to making this year's tournament such a success.
Now, the journey towards United Football Games 2028 begins!
If you would like to support UFG or become part of the project, be sure to follow us on YouTube and Instagram, and visit our website to stay up to date with everything that's coming next.
More Than Football
Beyond the many memorable moments on the pitch, it is the moments away from the game that will remain with everyone the longest. Old friends reunited after years apart. New friendships were formed.
Young people from countries whose histories have often been marked by conflict came together to share one common passion—the beautiful game.
Although every metre was fiercely contested on the field and every team fought for every ball, laughter and friendship always prevailed off it.
The atmosphere throughout the tournament was one of genuine peace, brotherhood and mutual respect. And that is exactly what UFG is all about.
Bringing together people from different backgrounds. Creating meaningful intercultural experiences. Building friendships that cross borders. And creating unforgettable memories that will last a lifetime.