{"id":642284,"date":"2025-12-19T13:35:15","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T13:35:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/642284\/"},"modified":"2025-12-19T13:35:15","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T13:35:15","slug":"maiden-city-and-newell-academy-to-make-supercupni-debut","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/642284\/","title":{"rendered":"Maiden City and Newell Academy to make SuperCupNI debut"},"content":{"rendered":"

PICTURED ABOVE: Left to right are Callum McCabe (Rosario YFC), Dylan Harkin (Maiden City), Archie Muir (Ballymena United), Flynn Johnston (Cliftonville), Luke Duddy (Linfield), Lorc\u00e0n Duffy (Newell Academy), Ben Robinson (Glenavon) and Joe Gaston (Portadown) representing a strong local contingent of elite clubs and leading grassroots clubs\u00a0set to feature at the 2026 Budget Energy SuperCupNI.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Budget Energy SuperCupNI has confirmed the eight Northern Ireland representatives for the 2026 Boys\u2019 Minor Section,\u00a0marking the first official team announcement ahead of next summer\u2019s 43rd edition of the tournament.<\/p>\n

Linfield, Cliftonville, Ballymena United, Glenavon, Portadown, Rosario, Maiden City and Newell Academy\u00a0will form a strong and competitive local contingent, featuring established NIFL clubs and some of the region\u2019s most highly regarded grassroots clubs.<\/p>\n

Rosario of South Belfast and Derry<\/a> sides Maiden City and Newell Academy\u00a0are set to make their tournament debuts at one of world football\u2019s most respected youth competitions.<\/p>\n

Last summer\u2019s Minor Section delivered one of the standout finals of the 2025 tournament, as Cliftonville edged past Linfield in a classic all-Belfast contest at the Coleraine Showgrounds.<\/p>\n

As champions of the 2025 Budget Energy SuperCupNI Boys\u2019 Minor Section, Cliftonville will now represent Northern Ireland on the global stage at the world-renowned Mina Cup in Dubai in April 2026.<\/p>\n

With Cliftonville and Linfield returning in 2026, alongside NIFL Premiership clubs Ballymena United, Portadown and Glenavon, anticipation is already building for another compelling chapter in the youngest age group of the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The only Boys\u2019 section to feature club sides from Northern Ireland is also one of the most heavily subscribed in the entire tournament, with several major names set to be announced in early 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The standard is already shaping up to surpass the quality on show in 2025, when clubs such as Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers, Kilmarnock, Ross County, Surf Select, IDA Bermuda and Al Jazira Club all took part.<\/p>\n

Sean O’Loughlin, Managing Director at Budget Energy said:\u00a0\u201cOur first year as headline partner of the SuperCupNI was a real highlight for everyone at Budget Energy. It went beyond anything we expected. The passion around the tournament, the standard of football and the way the whole event is delivered reminded us exactly why we wanted to be involved in the first place. We are already looking forward to 2026 and to playing our part again in what is always a brilliant week for young players, their families and the local communities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a great way to begin the team announcements for 2026 and we are delighted for all eight Northern Ireland clubs included in the Minor Section, especially the two teams from close to our Derry headquarters. The Budget Energy SuperCupNI gives young players an opportunity they do not get anywhere else and we wish every team the very best as they prepare for next summer.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Now entering its 43rd year, the Budget Energy SuperCupNI remains one of the world\u2019s premier youth football competitions. The 2026 tournament will take place from Sunday 26th to Friday 31st July, welcoming a minimum of 62 Boys\u2019 and Girls\u2019 teams\u00a0from across the globe.<\/p>\n

More than 1,200 young players\u00a0will compete in over 150 matches\u00a0across five age groups, with fixtures hosted throughout Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council,\u00a0Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council\u00a0and Mid and East Antrim Borough Council<\/p>\n

The Boys\u2019 Section Cup Finals will take place at The Coleraine Showgrounds on Friday, July 31,\u00a0while the Girls\u2019 Section Cup Finals\u00a0will be staged at Dixon Park, Ballyclare on Thursday, July 30.<\/p>\n

Sam Gamble, Tournament Coordinator at the Budget Energy SuperCupNI, said:\u00a0\u201cWe are pleased to confirm the eight local sides for the Boys\u2019 Minor Section at the 2026 Budget Energy SuperCupNI. Choosing the local teams is never straightforward.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe level of interest grows every year and many strong local clubs put their names forward. Our process is based on clear criteria and early season performances and we are confident we have arrived at a very strong and well deserving line up.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is great to welcome three new teams, Rosario, Maiden City and Newell Academy, which reflects the progress being made in youth football across Northern Ireland. Alongside them, having Linfield, Cliftonville, Ballymena United, Glenavon and Portadown involved means we can look forward to another highly competitive Minor Section.<\/p>\n

\u201cLast year\u2019s final between Cliftonville and Linfield was one of the best we have seen at this age group. With several major international teams still to be confirmed in early 2026, we are looking forward to another exciting chapter for the tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n

The 2026 Budget Energy SuperCupNI is proudly supported by headline partner Budget Energy, alongside a valued network of partners including Tourism NI, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Sterling Insurance, Creagh Concrete, Uhlsport, Clearer Water, Tesco, The Premier League, TrustFord,\u00a0247.tv\u00a0and BuyTicketApp.<\/p>\n

For more information on the Budget Energy SuperCupNI, visit\u00a0www.supercupni.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PICTURED ABOVE: Left to right are Callum McCabe (Rosario YFC), Dylan Harkin (Maiden City), Archie Muir (Ballymena United),…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":642285,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5011],"tags":[124510,16767,197447,1144,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-642284","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-northern-ireland","8":"tag-county-derry","9":"tag-derry","10":"tag-maiden-city-soccer-academy","11":"tag-northern-ireland","12":"tag-uk","13":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115746500849013186","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=642284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/642284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/642285"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=642284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=642284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=642284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}