Real Madrid defends its title for the 10th anniversary of the Risle Cup, an U11 football tournament and "big village festival"

Real Madrid players on the Nassandres sur Risle pitch (Eure), it's not a fantasy or a new European version of the Coupe de France. The great Madrid club will be present in the town of around 2,300 inhabitants this Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4, 2025, for the 9th edition of the Risle Cup . The 4,000 spectators expected over the weekend will not see Mbappé , nor the other stars of the first team, but they will be able to discover the precocious talent of the under-11 players, the U11s. For their first participation last year, the children of Real dominated those of PSG in a summit final.

"We dreamed of facing Madrid, and they eliminated us in the quarterfinals," recalls Abder Zeroual, U11 coach of LOSC, the professional club in Lille (North). "They are impressive, already efficient, technical, and mature. They don't give up, with or without the ball. They beat Rennes when they were down 2-0."

Watching future stars shine in this tournament, which is free to enter and celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, has become a regular occurrence. PSG and French national team striker Désiré Doué was a finalist in 2016 with Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine). As was Lille midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi in 2018 with Creil (Oise), the only amateur club to have reached this stage of the competition.

Because the Risle Cup, which takes its name from the river that runs through the village, has the particularity of mixing amateur and professional clubs. Of the 32 teams involved, 18 are from professional clubs (PSG, Marseille, Lyon, Nice, etc.), including 5 from outside France (Real Madrid, Juventus, Anderlecht, Porto, and Belgrade).

"We're turning down European clubs so that teams that have supported us for a long time, like Lille and Valenciennes, can return. We owe them loyalty. And we won't go beyond 18 professional clubs, to maintain the family spirit of the tournament," explains Damien Degorre, tournament co-organizer, journalist at "L'Équipe" and native of the region.

To give themselves the opportunity to compete against renowned clubs, amateurs take part in a pre-selection tournament, which brought together 50 teams last November in Lisieux (Calvados).

This formula gives rise to some surprising matches that add to the charm of this competition, as high-level as it is rustic. In the group stage, Elbeuf (Seine-Maritime) will face Porto (Portugal) and Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône), while Lannion (Côtes-d'Armor) will measure up to Real Madrid (Spain) and Lyon (Rhône).

The interaction between amateurs and professionals isn't limited to the pitch. Children from French clubs stay with host families, where they build bonds that can last beyond the weekend. As for the coaches, they all get together on Friday and Saturday evenings for a meal.

"The strength of this tournament is that it's a huge village festival. Everyone is really into it," says Abder Zeroual. "For me, it's the best tournament in France because it combines a very high level of sport with a very warm, non-sporting aspect. There are others like it, but they're much more bling-bling," he continues.

"When we host a team, which represents on average 12 young people and 2 to 7 coaches, we manage the transportation, catering, and accommodation. It's a huge undertaking that is made possible thanks to the dedication of 120 volunteers and the financial support of our private and public partners," explains Thomas Moutardier, co-organizer of the tournament, who puts it into perspective: "It's an extraordinary moment of celebration and sharing. And, when you see the stars in the kids' eyes, you forget the work that all this required of us."