The tournament took place on 22 and 23 March, for the first time in Italy: all on the podium the 4 blue representatives, one female and three male
28 teams representing 8 participating nations, divided into 4 game categories. The 2025 edition of the Nations Cup was a success and marks an important step in the growth of Walking Football (or ‘Calcio caminato’), which was, in December last, at the center of an event organized in the Federal Technical Center of Coverciano by AIAC (the Italian Football Coaches Association) and the Paralympic and Experimental Football Division of FIGC, in collaboration with UEFA.
Walking Football is a particular version of football with rules designed to promote the health and safety of those who practice it. It can be played by anyone and is perfect for older people or those with walking difficulties who intend to perform moderate intensity physical activity.
The Nations Cup took place for the first time in Italy on Saturday 22 and Sunday 23 March at the Farnesina Stadium in Rome. “It was a very strong emotion for everyone – underlines Elena Proserpio Marchetti, who led the blue representative ‘Over 40 feminine’ – and the whole event was important to make Walking Football better known and to transmit its values, sporting and social”.
In addition to the women’s Over 40, the Over 50.60 and 70 men also took the field: the Italian representatives were particularly distinguished, given that they got on the podium in all categories. The women’s team ranked third, behind Ireland and France.
“Our team was born in 2022 – says Elena Proserpio Marchetti, a former Serie A player and long in FIGC paintings as a coach – and the progress is evident and constant, also in terms of growth of the movement. We have managed to involve all the ‘squares’ at this most active moment: Pistoia, Turin, Milan, Rome and Palermo. All the players were honored with the call and lived this experience in the name of passion and fun “.
The men’s Over 50 proved to be the strongest in its category, winning for the third time in a row after the successes achieved in Dublin in 2023 and in Saint Nazaire in 2024. Alberto Marchetti has a
I arrange a team that plays high-level walking football, as he demonstrated throughout the tournament and in particular in 3-0 at France, in the decisive match for the first final place.
Victory also for the male Over 60, coached by Paolo Turchi: in this case it is the first laurel at European level. The male Over 70 closed in second place instead. The representative led by Edmondo Sadocco closed the group on equal points with Switzerland, which however had a direct confrontation in favor.
Finally, the presence of two former professional footballers with an international pedigree should be noted. England deployed Peter Davenport, who played with Manchester United and Nottingham Forest. Poland’s coach was Marek Dziuba, who was part of the third team ranked in the 1982 World Cup in Spain, where Italy defeated the Poles in the semifinal and then graduated champion by beating West Germany.
MORE INFO AND CONTENT OF THE NATIONS CUP IN ROME HERE: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61560751426357
Author: The Walking Football
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