St. Xavier’s Collegiate School from Park Street, Calcutta, has made history by becoming the first-ever Indian youth team to take part in MADCUP Football 2025—the fifth edition of the largest federated international tournament for grassroots football. The tournament will be held in Madrid, Spain, in June 2025. The young Kolkata side will compete against some of the biggest names in world football, facing youth teams from Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Juventus, Sevilla, River Plate, Valencia CF, Leganés, and other global academies.
MADCUP is one of the largest federated youth football tournaments in the world, organiSed by Atlético de Madrid, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), the Government of the Community of Madrid, and the United Nations (UN) Tourism. The tournament takes place across 32 sports facilities in Madrid, including iconic venues such as the Atlético de Madrid Sports Centre, Ciudad Deportiva del Real Madrid, and Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas.
The St. Xavier’s contingent is set to arrive in Madrid ahead of the tournament’s commencement on June 20th. In a historic first group game, the school’s U-16 team will face Atlético de Madrid itself—a prestigious opening match that marks a significant milestone. They will also compete against SO Caillolais, an associate club of Olympique Marseille, known for having featured a young Eric Cantona in its ranks.
This global youth football tournament features top academies, including Atlético de Madrid, Real Madrid, Juventus, and Rayo Vallecano, as well as leading teams from countries such as Brazil, Japan, Mexico, and the USA. With nearly 250,000 spectators in the previous edition, MADCUP provides invaluable exposure to young players and allows them to experience advanced football technologies such as Video Assistant Referees (VAR). The tournament also includes events like the Women’s Gala of the Football Federation, further amplifying its global significance.
Last year’s celebration event culminated in a grand ceremony at the Metropolitano Stadium, home of Atlético de Madrid, attended by over 26,000 fans. This year’s tournament continues its mission to promote youth sports as an educational platform, with support from the University of Alcalá and other institutions. The focus is on instilling values such as respect, hard work, and teamwork through sport. Major Spanish media outlets like MARCA and DAZN ( the official broadcaster of LaLiga, Formula 1, and Saudi Pro League in Spain) provide extensive coverage of the event.
Meanwhile, Senior Teacher Mr. Farino Torcato expressed his pride in the school’s historic participation: “St. Xavier’s Collegiate School, Kolkata, India, participating in the MadCup 2025 is not only the creation of history for our school but for Indian youth football itself. I am not thinking of winning the tournament or something like that, but yes, we Xaverians are on a mission to show the world we also know and play football and will leave no stone unturned in making our school, city, state, and country proud.”
The school’s participation has been coordinated by Father Principal and Vice Principal, with faculty members Mr. Farino Torcato and Mr. Romario Topno playing key roles in guiding the team. ‘Trak Only’, the official kit partner of East Bengal FC, Odisha FC, and NorthEast United FC, will be the official kit partner for St. Xavier’s in the tournament. Sponsors Kamal’s Ice Creams and ICICI Lombard have also decided to come on board to support this landmark journey, which in itself speaks of the glorious footballing culture in the state of West Bengal.
The school already holds a historic place in Indian football history, having competed in prestigious tournaments such as the Durand Cup and IFA Shield multiple times before India’s independence. Notably, in 1911, Mohun Bagan defeated St. Xavier’s 3-0 in the first round, which paved the way for their legendary IFA Shield triumph by the ‘Immortal 11 of Maidan’.
As history once again knocks on the doors of Xaverian pride, Madrid—often called the ‘Capital of Youth Football’—eagerly awaits the first-ever Indian side to compete in MADCUP