The European Futsal Championship for Priests has officially begun. A total of 18 teams of priests from Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Kosovo, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan are competing today in Lublin in two stages of group matches.
By Monika Stojowska, Lublin
The opening group matches are being played at two venues in Lublin: the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, hosting teams from Italy, Slovakia, Serbia, and Romania, and the Medical University of Lublin, where Poland faces Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, and Kosovo.
After the opening matches, players emphasized that Euro Priest 2026 is not only about sporting competition, but also a sign of the Church’s openness to the world.
European futsal championship for priests (credit Monika Stojowska, KUL)
“We are very happy to be here. Sport is extremely important to us because it helps us care for both physical and spiritual health. Today’s Church needs new forms of evangelization and greater openness to the world and to people of different cultures,” said Fr. Bonifacio Sarte Lopez VI, goalkeeper of the Italian national team from the Diocese of Rome, in an interview with Vatican News.
The 18th European Futsal Championship for Priests is taking place in Lublin and will conclude on Thursday with the tournament’s decisive stage. The knockout matches, semifinals, and the grand final will be held at the Sports and Events Hall of the Medical University, followed by an awards ceremony for the winning teams. The tournament will conclude with a Holy Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Latyczów, celebrated by Fr. Dr. Miguel Cardoso of the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See.
