Loyola Football Cup 2026 kicks off in Pune, top schools to compete

Teams from Pune's leading schools are set to compete in the "Tata Autocomp Sponsored Loyola Football Cup 2026" at the Loyola High School ground in Pashan. The tournament has been organised jointly by Loyola High School and the Ex-Loyola Alumni Network (ELAN), bringing together the school's alumni and current students. Tata Autocomp is the main sponsor of the tournament.

The competition will see teams contest the title across three age groups: under-12, under-14 and under-16, giving boys and girls in different age categories a chance to play in their respective groups and showcase their skills. Along with host Loyola High School, teams from St Vincent's High School, The Bishop's School, Vidya Valley School, St Xavier's, Vidya Bhavan High School, J N Petit Technical High School, Hume McHenry School, Hutchings High School, Kalyani School, Infant Jesus High School, St Patrick's High School, B K Birla Centre of Education and Blue Ridge Public School will take the field. All these schools are counted among Pune's top schools, which lends the tournament particular importance.

The under-12 group has 14 teams in all, divided into four pools. Two of these pools have four teams each, while the remaining two have three teams each, meaning every team will get at least two to three matches.

The under-14 group has 12 teams divided into four pools of three teams each. The Bishop's School and Hutchings High School are not participating in this age group this year, marking a change from last year's list of teams in this category.

The under-16 group also has 12 teams competing for the title, with B K Birla Centre of Education entering the tournament as a new team this year, which is expected to add to the competition.

Meanwhile, young footballers from Project Mahadeva earned praise from a global football great for their strong performances on the field. The boys and girls from Project Mahadeva demonstrated their quality in friendly matches played in preparation for the upcoming I-League and other competitive fixtures, with the practice series proving useful for the players ahead of the bigger tournaments to come.

In a match at Cooperage football ground in Mumbai, the Project Mahadeva boys' team defeated Don Bosco, Matunga, winners at the Mumbai School Sports Association under-14 level, by a resounding 5-0 margin. The girls' team, meanwhile, put up an excellent fight, drawing 1-1 against the Maharashtra state-level under-15 WIFA champions.