Orange Cup 2026 Brings 189 Youth Soccer Teams to Reunion Island Through November

Orange Cup 2026 kicked off Saturday, August 22, at Mille Roches in Saint-André, drawing 189 teams and nearly 2,300 young athletes into the opening pool-play phase of a competition that will run across Reunion Island through late November. The U10 and U11 age categories anchor the tournament, which is built around youth football infrastructure spread across the island's sectors. Orange Reunion Mayotte, partnering with the Ligue Réunionnaise de Football and airline French bee, designed the 2026 edition around two parallel tracks: sports competition and educational workshops. The workshops align with the French Football Federation's Educational Federal Program and address digital literacy, screen time management, and cyberbullying prevention. The competition itself emphasizes respect, fair play, solidarity, and civic responsibility, with educational programming woven throughout the entire cycle rather than tacked on at the final stage. André Martin, General Director of Orange Reunion Mayotte, framed the tournament's purpose plainly. "Football can be a remarkable learning ground for young people," Martin said. "We are building a competition that pairs their passion for sport with awareness of responsible digital use." The LRF carries operational responsibility for deploying matches across the island's sectors. Rosaire Moriscot, LRF President, described the event as one local youth have been waiting for. "Nearly 2,300 young Reunionese will this year have the opportunity to experience enriching sports and educational engagement," Moriscot said. The competition moves through four distinct phases. Pool play runs from August 22 through October 17, spread across different sectors of the island. Sectoral finals follow from October 31 to November 14. The regional final is scheduled for Saturday, November 28, 2026. By contrast to a typical tournament prize, the winning team earns a trip to mainland France, made possible through the French bee partnership. Karine Bonnal, Commercial Manager for French bee on Reunion, said the arrangement allows young athletes to experience "sports and educational adventure, with a culminating experience that opens new horizons for the victorious team." The real coordination test arrives as pool play spreads island-wide through mid-October, when the logistics of running simultaneous matches across multiple sectors, while sustaining the educational programming in each location, will determine whether the model holds at scale.