IFR Champions Cup (Men’s Edition)
Official Rules & Information
Pembroke Athleta Football Club Ground
5th & 6th September 2026
1) CATEGORY & ELIGIBILITY
The tournament is reserved for players representing companies from the iGaming, Fintech and Real Estate industries, together with specific guest companies officially accepted by the Organisation Committee.
The Team Leader officially declares the employment status and eligibility of all registered players.
Any exceptions must be submitted to and approved by the Organisation Committee.
Each player must complete and sign the official Player Waiver issued by the Organisation Committee. Players who have not completed the required waiver will not be permitted to participate.
Players and teams participate in the tournament at their own responsibility. The Organisation Committee shall not be held responsible for injuries, illness, accidents or damage suffered by participants during the event.
2) TOURNAMENT FORMAT
Teams & Groups
The Men’s IFR Champions Cup 2026 will feature 24 teams.
The teams will be divided into six groups of four teams:
Group A — 4 teams
Group B — 4 teams
Group C — 4 teams
Group D — 4 teams
Group E — 4 teams
Group F — 4 teams
Each team will play every other team in its group once.
Each team will therefore play three Group Stage matches.
A total of 36 Men’s Group Stage matches will be played.
Official Draw
The Official Draw and Opening Ceremony will take place on:
Tuesday, 1st September 2026
Group Stage
The Men’s Group Stage will take place on:
Saturday, 5th September 2026
Matches will commence from 10:30 and will be played across three pitches.
Qualification for the Knockout Phase
A total of 16 teams will qualify for Sunday’s Knockout Phase:
12 automatic qualifiers
- 1st place from each of Groups A – F
- 2nd place from each of Groups A – F
4 additional qualifiers
- The four best 3rd-placed teams across Groups A – F
The six teams finishing third will therefore be ranked against one another, with the four highest-ranked third-placed teams progressing to the Round of 16.
The Round of 16 allocation of the four qualifying third-placed teams will follow the UEFA European Championship 24-team tournament format.
Knockout Phase
The Men’s Knockout Phase will take place on:
Sunday, 6th September 2026
Matches will commence from 10:30 and will be played across two pitches, except for the Men’s Grand Final, which will be played on the designated Main Finals Pitch.
The Knockout Phase consists of:
Round of 16 → Quarterfinals → Semifinals → Grand Final
3) PLAYERS’ LISTS
Each Men’s team may register a minimum of 7 players and a maximum of 14 players.
The official team registration form must be completed before the tournament begins on Saturday, 5th September 2026.
Once the tournament has commenced, the official player list cannot be modified unless expressly authorised by the Organisation Committee.
Participation is restricted to official representatives of participating companies, subject to the exemptions permitted under these regulations.
To facilitate the participation of smaller companies, each registered team may include up to three (3) non-professional players who are not employees of the company.
Any team found deliberately abusing the player registration or eligibility rules may be penalised or disqualified and may also face exclusion from future editions of the IFR Champions Cup.
4) MATCH FORMAT
All Men’s matches will consist of:
First Half — 15 minutes
Second Half — 15 minutes
Total regulation playing time: 30 minutes.
Each team will field 7 players:
1 goalkeeper + 6 outfield players
There will be no offside rule.
Players are requested to use turf shoes and/or HG football boots with 11 or 15 cleats.
SG football boots with 6 cleats are not permitted.
Shin guards are recommended but not mandatory.
Unless otherwise specified within these tournament regulations, the applicable in-play rules will follow the official Laws of the Game.
5) SUBSTITUTIONS
Unlimited substitutions are permitted.
Players who have been substituted may return to the match.
Substitutions must take place through the designated substitution area.
Players and team staff must remain within their designated bench areas during matches.
6) REFEREES
All matches will be officiated by appointed tournament referees.
The referee has full authority over the match and the referee’s decisions must be respected by players and team staff.
Decisions made by the referee concerning facts connected with play are final.
Complaints or appeals relating to refereeing decisions made during a match will not be accepted.
7) GROUP STAGE POINTS & RANKING
Points
Teams will receive:
Win — 3 points
Draw — 1 point
Loss — 0 points
Group Ranking
Teams will initially be ranked according to:
- Greatest number of points
- Goal difference
- Greatest number of goals scored
Where teams remain equal, additional applicable head-to-head criteria, followed where necessary by disciplinary/fair-play criteria and ultimately a decision/draw conducted by the Organisation Committee, will determine the final ranking.
Best Third-Placed Teams
After completion of all six groups, the six teams finishing in third place will be compared.
The four highest-ranked third-placed teams will qualify for the Round of 16.
Their ranking will be determined using the applicable tournament ranking criteria.
Their subsequent allocation into the Round of 16 will follow the UEFA EURO-style 24-team competition format.
8) KNOCKOUT MATCHES
All Men’s Round of 16, Quarterfinal, Semifinal and Grand Final matches will be played over the standard 2 × 15-minute format.
If a knockout match is level at the end of regulation time, the match will proceed directly to a penalty shoot-out.
No extra time will be played.
The winner of the penalty shoot-out will progress to the next round or, in the case of the Grand Final, be declared IFR Champions Cup 2026 Champion.
9) RED & YELLOW CARDS
A player receiving a red card will be suspended for the team’s next match.
A player accumulating two yellow cards will be suspended for the team’s next match.
Yellow-card accumulation will be reset prior to the Semifinals.
The Organisation Committee reserves the right to impose additional sanctions in cases of serious misconduct.
10) FOOTBALL PITCH & MEDICAL
Matches will be played on artificial grass pitches at the IFR Village, Pembroke Athleta Football Club Ground.
The Men’s Group Stage on Saturday will use three pitches.
The Men’s Knockout Phase on Sunday will use two pitches, with the designated Main Finals Pitch used for the Grand Final.
Indicative pitch dimensions:
52m long × 32m wide
Medical and ambulance services will be available during the tournament.
Physiotherapy services will also be available.
11) WALKOVER / NO-SHOW
Teams are responsible for being ready at their designated pitch before their scheduled kick-off time.
If a team fails to report for its match within 10 minutes of the scheduled kick-off, the match will be awarded to the opposing team as a:
3 – 0 victory
This rule applies during both the Group Stage and Knockout Phase.
12) TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE
The Tournament Committee is headed by Mr. Zvezdan Vukovic.
Decisions made by the Tournament Committee concerning the administration and interpretation of these regulations are final.
The Committee reserves the right to take appropriate action concerning misconduct, unfair behaviour, eligibility breaches or other violations of tournament regulations.
Sanctions may include warnings, suspensions, match forfeitures, disqualification and/or exclusion from future editions of the IFR Champions Cup.
13) GENERAL RULES & ETHICAL CODE
All players, teams, officials and staff are expected to respect the values and spirit of the IFR Champions Cup.
Players must show respect towards:
Opponents, teammates, referees, tournament officials, staff, volunteers and spectators.
Discriminatory, threatening, abusive or offensive behaviour will not be tolerated.
This includes conduct relating to race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation or any other protected characteristic.
Serious misconduct may result in immediate removal from the tournament and further sanctions determined by the Organisation Committee.
IFR Champions Cup (Women’s Edition)
Official Rules & Information
Pembroke Athleta Football Club Ground
6th September 2026
1) CATEGORY & ELIGIBILITY
The IFR Champions Cup 2026 Women’s Competition is reserved for players representing participating companies from the relevant industries and approved guest companies.
The eligibility, waiver, conduct and participation requirements applicable to the Men’s Competition will also apply to the Women’s Competition unless otherwise specified.
The entire Women’s Competition will take place on:
Sunday, 6th September 2026
2) TOURNAMENT FORMAT
The Women’s IFR Champions Cup 2026 will feature four teams.
All four teams will compete in one group:
Women’s Team 1
Women’s Team 2
Women’s Team 3
Women’s Team 4
Each team will play every other team once.
Each team will therefore play three Group Stage matches.
A total of six Women’s Group Stage matches will be played.
Women’s Group Stage
All Women’s Group Stage matches will be played on Pitch 3 on Sunday, commencing from 10:30.
The fixture rotation will be:
W1 vs W4
W2 vs W3
W1 vs W3
W2 vs W4
W1 vs W2
W3 vs W4
Qualification for the Grand Final
Following completion of all six Group Stage matches:
1st Place → Women’s Grand Final
2nd Place → Women’s Grand Final
The teams finishing 3rd and 4th will not advance.
There will be no Women’s Semifinals.
3) PLAYERS’ LISTS
Each Women’s team may register a minimum of 5 players and a maximum of 10 players.
The official registration form must be completed before the start of the Women’s competition on Sunday, 6th September 2026.
Once the competition has commenced, the official player list cannot be modified unless authorised by the Organisation Committee.
4) WOMEN’S GROUP STAGE MATCHES
All Women’s Group Stage matches will consist of:
First Half — 12 minutes
Second Half — 12 minutes
Total regulation playing time: 24 minutes.
Each team will field 5 players:
1 goalkeeper + 4 outfield players
There will be no offside rule.
Unlimited substitutions are permitted.
Players who have been substituted may return to the match.
The same footwear and general player-equipment regulations applicable to the Men’s Competition will apply.
5) WOMEN’S GROUP STAGE POINTS & RANKING
Teams will receive:
Win — 3 points
Draw — 1 point
Loss — 0 points
Following all six Group Stage matches, teams will be ranked from 1st to 4th.
The ranking and tiebreak principles used for the Men’s Group Stage will also apply to the Women’s Competition.
The teams finishing 1st and 2nd will qualify for the Women’s Grand Final.
6) WOMEN’S GRAND FINAL
The Women’s Grand Final will be played on the designated Main Finals Pitch on Sunday afternoon, immediately before the Men’s Grand Final.
Unlike the Women’s Group Stage matches, the Grand Final will have an extended match duration:
First Half — 12 minutes
Second Half — 12 minutes
Total regulation playing time: 24 minutes.
A dedicated 45-minute event slot will be reserved for the Women’s Grand Final.
If the match is level at the end of regulation time, the winner will be decided by a penalty shoot-out.
No extra time will be played.
7) SUBSTITUTIONS
Unlimited substitutions are permitted throughout the Women’s Competition.
Players who have been substituted may return to the match.
All substitutions must take place through the designated substitution area.
8) REFEREES
All Women’s matches will be officiated by appointed tournament referees.
The referee’s decisions concerning facts connected with play are final and must be respected by all players and team staff.
9) RED & YELLOW CARDS
A player receiving a red card will be suspended for the team’s next match.
A player accumulating two yellow cards will be suspended for the team’s next match.
The Organisation Committee reserves the right to impose additional sanctions in cases of serious misconduct.
10) FOOTBALL PITCH & MEDICAL
All Women’s Group Stage matches will be played on Pitch 3 on Sunday.
The Women’s Grand Final will be played on the Main Finals Pitch.
Medical, ambulance and physiotherapy services will be available throughout the competition.
11) WALKOVER / NO-SHOW
If a Women’s team fails to report for its match within 10 minutes of the scheduled kick-off time, the match will be awarded to the opposing team as a:
3–0 victory
This applies to both Group Stage matches and the Women’s Grand Final.
12) TOURNAMENT COMMITTEE
The Women’s Competition will fall under the authority of the IFR Champions Cup Tournament Committee.
The Committee’s decisions concerning tournament administration, eligibility, discipline and interpretation of these regulations are final.
13) GENERAL RULES & ETHICAL CODE
All players, team staff and officials must respect the values, regulations and sporting spirit of the IFR Champions Cup.
Discriminatory, threatening, abusive, violent or otherwise unacceptable behaviour will not be tolerated.
The Organisation Committee reserves the right to remove or sanction any player or team whose conduct is considered contrary to the tournament’s rules or values.