The 2025 European University Football Championships come to an end: the finals
The 2025 European University Football Championships come to an end: the finals
On Sunday 3rd August, the EUSA 11-a-side football championships for men and 7-a-side football championships for women came to a close.
Before the finals, all remaining matches in both the main and consolation draws were completed throughout the day.
In San Severino, the men's teams from the University of Munich and the University of Camerino faced each other, with the latter losing by 3-1 and finishing in fourteenth place.
In Camerino, the University of Montpellier and the University of Fribourg competed for eleventh and twelfth place, with the former losing. Then it was the turn of the Spanish team from Pompeu Fabra, which, after an initial draw, was beaten on penalties by the University of Ostrava, thus finishing in tenth place.
In Matelica, the University of Jyvaskyla played against the University of Zagreb, which claimed seventh place thanks to penalties. For fifth and sixth place in the standings, the University of Würzburg and the University of Porto faced each other, with Würzburg winning 1-0.
Despite the rain, the games continued in the afternoon and the top places on the podium were decided. In the men's competition, the University of Rouen took third place, defeating Ege University 3-0, while the University of Granada took second place, losing to the University of Timisoara by 3-2, thus declaring them the winners of the entire tournament.
Turning to the women's competition, the girls from the University of Camerino and the University of Groningen faced each other on the Unicam sports fields, with the latter winning and overtaking the home team, which slipped to the bottom of the table as a result.
At the municipal sports ground in Camerino, the University of Gdansk and the University of Lille competed for seventh and eighth place, ending the match with a 4-2 result. Next, the University of Granada and the University of Aveiro competed for fifth and sixth place, with Aveiro emerging victorious.
The podium was then decided by the match between the University of Montpellier and the University of Uman, which won 1-2 to earn the bronze medal.
Finally, the final was held, with the team from the University of Würzburg triumphed over the University of Frankfurt, winning 3-1. The girls from Würzburg were enthusiastic and, encouraged and supported by the men's team from their own university, celebrated despite the bad weather. Captain Lena Betz explains why this victory means so much: “We've been training for over a year, and the fact that most of us have known each other for years definitely helps build team spirit and face challenges”. She then added about the role of women in the world of football: “Many people watch men's football, few watch women's football, but it's the same thing. Personally, I believe that a sport should be watched because it is beautiful regardless. There are still too few female coaches and referees, but this is also improving.”
The European University Football Championships came to a joyful and emotional close, with 26 delegations from different countries participating. They paraded one last time during the evening’s closing ceremony at the Livio Luzi stadium. Along with the closing ceremony, there was an award ceremony for the teams that made it to the podium and the presentation of prizes for special categories, as a sign of recognition for the individual athletes who participated in the competition.
Agnese Picotti and Sofia Aringoli