"Eagle Cup" in Albania, Duka: Prestigious tournament, I assure you it will be a fantastic experience

2025-04-28 18:12:00, Sport CNA

"Eagle Cup" in Albania, Duka: Prestigious tournament, I assure you it

Albania will welcome in June one of the most important youth football events, the international “Eagle Cup” tournament, a well-known exclusivity of the “Viareggio Cup”. This historic event will take place from June 8 to 15 and will gather 12 teams from around the world in our country.

The organization of this tournament comes thanks to the cooperation of the Albanian Football Federation with the "Albitsol" foundation, the University of Sports of Tirana and the Centro Giovani Calciatori Viareggio (CGC Viareggio), the organizers of the "Viareggio Cup".

The tournament was presented today at the "House of Football", during a media conference attended by the President of the Albanian Football Federation Armand Duka, the representative of the "Albitsol" foundation, Vasenka Rangu Leka, the rector of the Sports University of Tirana Agron Kasa, as well as representatives of CGC Viareggio.

In his welcoming speech, President Duka expressed his satisfaction with the organization of this tournament and sees it as a good development opportunity for Albanian football and the country. He guaranteed the partners that the Albanian Football Association will do its utmost to organize a fantastic tournament in June.

"Eagle Cup" in Albania, Duka: Prestigious tournament, I assure you it

"I welcome the rector of the University of Sports and the director of the "Albitsol" foundation. I thank them for their cooperation with the Albanian Football Association in organizing this prestigious tournament throughout the world of football. We have all heard about the Viareggio tournament, and even Albanian teams have dreamed of being part of this tournament.

Today this tournament comes and will take place in Tirana, from June 8-15, in a period when we have finished the European U-17 Championship, in a period where there is not much football activity in Albania. There will be four Albanian teams. I am sure that this is innovation for us and development for football itself, a chance for those who will play, a chance for those who will follow it, but also for the Albanian economy and the voice it gives Albania in the international market.

I guarantee the tournament leaders, the rector and the director of Albtisol that we will hold a fantastic tournament, at the highest levels of organization, at the levels that the Albanian Football Federation knows how to do, as it has done with many other tournaments. I am sure that it will become a tradition for the benefit of Albanian football. I wish a good start, that it goes well and that all those who will come, return to Albania and to Albanian football in particular", - said President Duka in his speech.

The head of the “Albitsol” foundation, Vasenka Rangu, said in her speech that this tournament will be a very good opportunity for young people. She thanked President Duka and the Albanian Football Association for their cooperation in this initiative.

"Eagle Cup" in Albania, Duka: Prestigious tournament, I assure you it

"It is a pleasure to be at the "House of Football" as one of the initiators of this tournament that is coming to Albania thanks to this cooperation, where we will dedicate ourselves to young talents. I want to thank the President of the Albanian Football Federation, Armand Duka, who gave us his trust in this initiative, encouraged us and on behalf of the foundation, I want to say that we are grateful. I am happy to be in this environment and we have the honor of being represented by a president who is honoring us at an international level with this extraordinary vision. Thanks to your figure, we feel committed to undertaking such initiatives and returning to our country. A thank you also to Viareggio, for this opportunity. For the first time, it is leaving Italy and coming to us, in this cooperation. This project comes thanks to a partnership with the University of Sports and the Albanian Football Federation. This tournament will be a very good panorama for young people. It will not be just a competition, but a way to met with other clubs that will come to Tirana. This tournament will be a very good message to the whole world, where we will give the message that Albania is the home of young talents. We invite you to follow us in June”, – said Vasenka Rangu.

Agron Kasa, the rector of the University of Sports, also said in his speech that without the support of the Albanian Football Association, the realization of this tournament would have been impossible. This is due to the experience, infrastructure, dynamics and many other elements that the Albanian Football Association has.

"We have been working on this tournament for a year and I am convinced of its success. Without the support of President Duka and the Albanian Football Association, it was bordering on the impossible to do. Because experience is required in this work, dynamics, infrastructure, many elements that the Albanian Football Association is consolidated in for organizing these activities. UST has joined this movement to do something different from what has happened so far. This great activity is a kind of ingraduation and joint synergy where we all have something to gain. We made an agreement with President Duka before and I am happy that the activities are becoming more important, more demanding, with greater responsibility. I have every reason to thank President Duka, the Albanian Football Association that by cooperating within the framework of that agreement we made before, UST has found the way to orient itself towards elite sports, especially football. There will be 12 teams and 24 matches in the time frame of 6 days and the champion team will face with the champion team of Viareggio. I am convinced that it will have a very big effect in Albania" - said Rector Kasa.

The press conference was also greeted by former world champion with Italy, Fulvio Collovati, the coordinator and Technical Director of the "Eagle Cup", Enzo Gambaro, and former Italian footballer, Alberto Bigon, who praised the organization of this tournament for the first time in Albania and the work that the Albanian Football Association is doing to support youth football.