Youth Sports Tournament Launches Across Reunion Island with 2,300 Young Athletes

Orange Cup 2026 kicked off on Saturday, August 22, at Mille Roches in Saint-André, simultaneously triggering pool-play phases across multiple sectors of Reunion Island. The morning session ran from 8:30 to 11:30, marking the formal start of a competition cycle that organizers have structured to run through late November.

The numbers behind the launch are substantial. Nearly 189 teams in the U10 and U11 age categories have registered, bringing approximately 2,268 young players into a competition schedule that will unfold across the island’s amateur football infrastructure over the coming weeks. That enrollment level reflects the event’s established place in Reunion’s youth football calendar since its creation in 2022.

Orange Reunion Mayotte, working alongside the Ligue Réunionnaise de Football (LRF) and with backing from airline partner French bee, built the 2026 edition around a dual-track delivery model. Matches run alongside workshops aligned with the French Football Federation’s Educational Federal Program, which Orange supports. Those workshops cover digital literacy, screen time management, and cyberbullying prevention, threading educational content through a competition otherwise organized around respect, fair play, solidarity, and civic responsibility.

André Martin, General Director of Orange Reunion Mayotte, described the competition’s operational purpose plainly. “The Orange Cup grows from a simple conviction: football can be a remarkable learning ground for young people,” Martin stated. “We are building a competition that pairs their passion for sport with awareness of responsible digital use. Seeing nearly 2,300 children commit this year illustrates the momentum created around this event on Reunion Island.”

The LRF carries central operational responsibility for deploying the competition across the island’s sectors. Its territorial relationships with local clubs and experience managing young licensed players are what make the challenge function at this scale. Rosaire Moriscot, President of the LRF, was direct about the federation’s role. “The Ligue Réunionnaise de Football is proud to organize and support a new Orange Cup edition, an anticipated event for our island’s young footballers,” Moriscot said. “Thanks to all partners, nearly 2,300 young Reunionese will this year have the opportunity to experience enriching sports and educational engagement. This action perfectly illustrates our common aim: making football a genuine lever for development and learning for Reunionese youth.”

The competition timeline divides delivery into four phases. Pool play runs from August 22 through October 17, spread across different island sectors. Sectoral finals follow from October 31 to November 14. The regional final, scheduled for Saturday, November 28, 2026, determines the champion team and triggers the prize offered through French bee.

That prize introduces a travel component. The winning team earns a trip to mainland France, extending the competition’s reach well beyond Reunion’s playing fields. Karine Bonnal, Commercial Manager for French bee on Reunion, outlined the airline’s commitment. “We are very pleased to continue our engagement alongside Orange and the Ligue Réunionnaise de Football for this new Orange Cup edition,” Bonnal said. “This partnership matters particularly to us because it allows young Reunionese to experience sports and educational adventure, with a culminating experience that opens new horizons for the victorious team.”

By contrast with many youth competitions that operate as standalone events, Orange Cup 2026 runs its educational programming in parallel with match competition throughout the entire cycle, not as an add-on at the final stage. Whether that integrated model holds across all sectors and all phases, as pool play spreads island-wide through mid-October, will be the practical test of the coordination among Orange Reunion Mayotte, the LRF, and their club-level partners on the ground.