A Weekend of Football, Competition and Community in Malta
The IFR Champions Cup returned to Malta for its ninth edition, bringing together another strong field of companies for two days of football at Pembroke Football Grounds.
This year’s tournament featured 24 teams in the Men’s competition and four teams in the Women’s competition, with players representing companies from across the IFR community.
Across the weekend, the Champions Cup once again delivered everything the tournament has become known for: competitive football, dramatic results, plenty of goals and a social atmosphere that extended far beyond the pitch.
More Than Just Football
For the Champions Cup weekend, IFR took over three 7-a-side pitches at Pembroke Football Grounds, creating a complete tournament environment for players, colleagues, families and supporters.
But the weekend was never only about what happened on the football pitch.
Throughout the venue, guests could enjoy a live DJ set, food stalls and a dedicated child-friendly area, complete with a bouncy castle and additional games to keep younger visitors entertained.
There was also table football and other activities for players and supporters to enjoy between matches.
And with teams competing under the Maltese September heat, refreshments were essential.
A dedicated bar and refreshment area was positioned in the heart of the participants’ rest area, giving teams a place to cool down, recharge and socialise between fixtures.
Together, the football and entertainment created the kind of atmosphere that has become an important part of the IFR Champions Cup experience.
The Men’s Competition Gets Underway
The Men’s Group Stage kicked off on Saturday, 5 September, and it quickly became clear that qualification would be anything but straightforward.
Across the six groups, the tournament produced high-scoring matches, last-minute winners and extremely close qualification battles.
Several teams remained in contention until their final group fixtures.
For some, the difference between progressing to the knockout stage and seeing their Champions Cup journey come to an end was just a single point.
The level of competition continued to rise once the tournament entered the knockout rounds.
Penalties, Drama and a Place in the Final
If the group stage was close, the knockout stage took the drama to another level.
In total, five knockout matches were decided by penalty shootouts.
Even more remarkably, both Semi-Finals required penalties to determine who would progress to the Champions Cup Final.
The margins between the strongest teams were incredibly small, and every mistake, save and successful penalty suddenly carried enormous weight.
Eventually, two teams remained.
Bet365 and NEO Group.
After surviving an intense route through the competition, they would meet with one final prize still on the line.
The IFR Champions Cup.
Bet365 Crowned Men’s Champions
As expected after such a closely contested tournament, the Men’s Final produced another competitive encounter.
Bet365 and NEO Group battled for the title, with very little separating the two teams.
In the end, Bet365 found the decisive edge.
A 2–1 victory over NEO Group secured the Men’s IFR Champions Cup 2026 title and completed an impressive tournament run.
After a weekend filled with tight matches and penalty shootouts, Bet365 had done enough to lift the trophy.
The Women’s Edition
The Women’s IFR Champions Cup featured four teams competing against each other in a group format, with the strongest two progressing to the Final.
From the opening matches, MSF established themselves as the team to beat.
They completed the group stage with a perfect record, winning three matches from three and securing first place.
Behind them, Betsson Group claimed second position, earning the remaining place in the Final.
With three straight victories behind them, MSF entered the deciding match as favourites.
But the Final would tell a very different story.
Betsson Deliver When It Matters Most
When the Women’s Final began, Betsson produced their strongest performance of the tournament.
Facing an MSF team that had won every match in the group stage, Betsson took control of the Final and never looked back.
The result was emphatic.
Betsson Group defeated MSF 4–0, completing an unexpected but dominant performance to become the Women’s IFR Champions Cup 2026 winners.
It was one of the standout results of the entire weekend.
After finishing behind MSF during the group stage, Betsson turned the tables when the trophy was on the line and delivered exactly when it mattered most.
Individual Awards
Alongside the team trophies, the IFR Champions Cup also recognised the standout individual performances from across the weekend.
Men’s Awards
Top Scorer: Dylan, Bet365
MVP: Leandro, NEO Group
Best Goalkeeper: Alex Horst, Bet365
Women’s Awards
MVP: Edna, MSF
Top Scorer: Spyridoula, Betsson Group
Best Goalkeeper: Carolina, Betsson Group
The awards highlighted some of the players who made the biggest impact throughout the tournament, whether through goals, decisive performances or outstanding work between the posts.
Two Champions. One Unforgettable Weekend.
By the time the final whistle sounded on Sunday, the ninth edition of the IFR Champions Cup had delivered another weekend full of memorable moments.
There were goals.
There were late winners.
There were penalty shootouts.
There were unexpected results.
There were celebrations.
And ultimately, there were two Champions Cup winners.
Bet365 were crowned Men’s Champions.
Betsson Group were crowned Women’s Champions.
But the Champions Cup has always represented more than the final results.
It gives colleagues the opportunity to represent their companies together, compete outside their normal working environment and connect with people from across the wider business community.
That combination of competition, teamwork, entertainment and community continues to sit at the heart of IFR.
Thank You to Everyone Who Made It Possible
An event of this scale would not be possible without the people and organisations who support it.
A huge thank you to all of our sponsors and partners for helping us bring another edition of the IFR Champions Cup to life.
We would also like to thank every participating company that entered a team and became part of this year’s tournament.
And, of course, thank you to every player who stepped onto the pitch, competed for their company and contributed to the spirit of the Champions Cup throughout the weekend.
Our appreciation also goes to the referees, paramedics, medical teams, event staff, photographers, suppliers, entertainment teams, venue staff and everyone working behind the scenes.
Their work helped ensure that the tournament ran safely and smoothly from the first match until the final celebrations.
Finally, thank you to all the colleagues, friends, families and supporters who joined us at Pembroke Football Grounds and helped create the atmosphere throughout the weekend.
The Champions Cup would not be the same without you.
Next Year, We Celebrate Number 10
The ninth edition is complete.
But the next one will be particularly special.
In 2027, the IFR Champions Cup celebrates its 10th anniversary.
A decade of football.
A decade of competition.
A decade of unforgettable moments.
And most importantly, a decade of bringing companies and people together through sport.
We already cannot wait to see what the next chapter brings.
