For the first time, UEFA is officially organising a Walking Football tournament, a discipline mainly played by men and women aged 60 and over, featuring matches played without running or jumping. Walking Football is growing rapidly across Europe, and the competition, designed with inclusivity at its core, is promoted by UEFA’s Social and Environmental Sustainability Division, fitting perfectly within the “Health and Wellbeing” policy implemented by UEFA and the FIGC.

The EURO Cup 2026 will be held on Thursday 25 June at the Colovray Sports Centre in Nyon and will feature Italy alongside seven other national teams: Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Scotland and Spain. The teams will arrive in Nyon on Wednesday 24 June, with the draw scheduled for later that afternoon, before taking to the field the following day. The eight participants will be divided into two groups of four, with each nation playing three group-stage matches from early morning until 10:00 CEST.

The knockout stage will take place between 10:15 CEST and 12:20 CEST, featuring crossover semi-finals (Group A winners versus Group B runners-up and vice versa), followed by the final between the two winners. The losing semifinalists will contest the third-place playoff. The same format will be used to determine positions from fifth to eighth.

Each nation will field a squad of nine players competing in six-a-side matches. UEFA regulations require that, among the nine players, four must be women (two aged over 55 and two aged over 60), while the five male players must all be at least 60 years old.

The Italian representative team, which will wear the traditional Azzurri colours, has been selected by the Lega Nazionale Dilettanti through its regional networks and operates with the support of the FIGC. The squad includes Francesca Benigno, Paola D'Angieri, Maria Cristina Kilan, Mara Perino, Ciro Cofano, Massimo Linarello, Giovanni Mazzarella, Marco Ramella and Roberto Rosati. The team will be coached by Luigi Martinoli, appointed by team manager Roberto Boglietti, while Antonello Perucca is part of the staff as team doctor.