Over 20 football teams from 10 countries met at the LKS Lotnik Kryspinów pitch during the Turkish Airlines Kryspinów Cup 2026. The two-day competition in the U-9 age category, featuring players born in 2017, ended with a victory for the French team OGC Nice.
Held under the patronage of Turkish Airlines and the Małopolska Football Association, the event attracted crowds of fans and supporters of youth football. The pitch in Kryspinów hosted teams representing some of the most recognisable football academies in Europe, including FC Porto, Galatasaray Istanbul, Lazio Rome, Sparta Prague and OGC Nice. There was also a strong representation of Polish clubs, such as Widzew Łódź, Śląsk Wrocław, Cracovia, Wisła Kraków, Jagiellonia Białystok, Resovia, as well as the host team, LKS Lotnik Kryspinów.
The tournament showed that children’s sport can be organised with great ambition, passion and international standards. Behind the success of the event are the people connected with Lotnik Kryspinów - a small local club that once again proved that great football emotions are not reserved only for great stadiums.
The Turkish Airlines Kryspinów Cup 2026 was not only a sporting competition, but also a celebration of children’s football, international cooperation and local passion, which gains more momentum with every year.
The airport-based Hilton Garden Inn Kraków Airport, located at Kraków Airport in Balice, once again had the honour of being among the patrons of the event, supporting an initiative rooted in the local community and becoming increasingly international in character year after year.
During the official awards ceremony, among the invited honorary guests, medals were presented to the young players by Mieczysław Włosek, President of the Management Board of Kraków Airport Hotel - the company managing Hilton Garden Inn Kraków Airport and belonging to the capital group of John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice.
Photo: Michał Kędzierski
