The European Catholic Football Priests Championship has just celebrated its 17th edition in Kisvárda, Hungary.
Poles priests have taken first place in this living football competition that has faced more than 200 presbyters from 14 countries in Europe. Slovakia has obtained second place and the Croatian priests have been in third place.
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This competition, considered one of the greatest sporting events in the Christian world, began in 2003 in Austria. Since then it is organized every year in a different country. In 2023, after the break due to Covid, it took place in Romania and last year was held in Poland.
Participants come from countries such as Albania, Austria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Montenegro, Poland, Portugal, Serbia and Slovakia.
During the days of the championship, priests exchange pastoral experiences and conceive the event as an opportunity to deepen and share their faith, beyond the sports field.
Fr. žinić, from Croatia, expressed in statements to local media that are priests “and then footballers, not soccer players who are priests. Therefore, in our meetings, the priestly environment is evident, showing what we represent. ”
The opening ceremony of this 2025 was held on February 10 and was headed by Mons. Michael Wallace Banach, Apostolic Nuncio of Hungary.
The qualifiers and the final took place on Thursday, February 13 at the city’s sports hall. The Polish city of Lublin will be the host of the next year championship.
Almudena Martínez-Bordiú
I am graduated in journalism and advertising from the CEU San Pablo University of Madrid. Specialized in religious information in Spain since 2015. I have been a senior correspondent for ACI Press and Ewtn News in the Vatican for two years and I am currently a correspondent from Europe based on Spain.