The Prendas Cup brings the national five-a-side football team back to Sardinia

It's been almost fifteen years since the national futsal team last visited Sardinia: it was January 18 and 19, 2011, when, first at the PalaBeethoven in Quartu and then at the Palazzetto in Carbonia, the senior team defeated Serbia 2-1 and 2-0, respectively, in friendly matches before a fantastic crowd. The wait for island futsal fans is set to be over soon: in December, the Italy Under-19 team will travel to Cagliari to play in the inaugural Ediline Prendas Cup, with a double-header against their Slovenian counterparts.

The tournament, organized by the Quinto Uomo – Futsal in Sardinia association, will be held at the PalaCUS in Sa Duchessa: the first match will be on Tuesday, December 15th at 9:00 PM and the second the following day at 1:00 PM, both with free admission . For coach Vanni Pedrini's Italy Under-19 team, the match in Cagliari will be a double test in preparation for the Main Round of the European Championships for the category, which will take place starting in late March 2027 and will feature the Azzurrini.

The Ediline Prendas Cup will not end with the two matches between Italy and Slovenia, as a related schedule of events is being finalized. The national teams will be in Sardinia starting Sunday, December 13th, and training on Monday the 14th and Tuesday the 15th will be open to the public, with several schools from Cagliari and the surrounding area, as well as soccer and futsal schools, in attendance. Additionally, several special guests are expected, one of whom could be the coach of the senior national team, Salvo Samperi . It remains to be seen whether any Sardinian talent will be called up to the Italy squad, in a movement that at the women's level has just seen Cagliari captain Alice Virdis (who turned 18 last May) secure the Azzurre's historic first-ever qualification for the European Championships.