Sochi to Host First International Women's Football Friendly Tournament

The first international friendly football tournament for professional women's teams, BRIDGE CSKA, kicks off in Sochi on January 26, featuring players from Belarus, Russia, and Serbia.

Jan 23, 2026

Women«s football in Russia is dynamically developing, with this tournament fostering international exchange and cooperation.
Source:
wfccska.ru

On January 26, the first International Friendly Football Tournament for professional women«s teams, »BRIDGE CSKA«, will start in Sochi. According to the press service of the Women»s Football Club CSKA (WFK CSKA), athletes from Belarus, Russia, and Serbia will meet in a series of matches. Four teams will participate in the 10-day competition — representatives of the women«s football clubs CSKA, Lokomotiv, Spartak-Subotica, and Dnepr-Mogilev.

— Women«s football is a dynamically developing sport that is rapidly gaining popularity. In Russia alone, more than 50,000 girls play football, and the audience for matches of the Super Cup and the Russian Cup in women»s football numbers millions of viewers. The tournament is held with the aim of exchanging international sports experience in the development of women«s football and strengthening cooperation between teams from different countries,» said Yevgenia Sablina, president of the Women«s Football Club CSKA.

The organizers promise that the tournament will become annual, which will allow expanding the geography of participants and attracting women«s teams from leading football communities worldwide.

— This tournament has strategic significance not only as a sporting event but also as a reputational and even political step: thanks to such friendly meetings, strong friendly ties are built between countries. And it is no coincidence that the official hotel of the tournament was chosen as the southernmost hotel in Russia — the BRIDGE Resort hotel complex, which is among the Top 5 best hotels in Russia for family vacations according to Tripadvisor Travellers« Choice. By making the hotel the central venue (and this is enshrined in the tournament»s name), we want to show how much the level of the hospitality industry in Russia has grown in recent years,« concluded Sablina.

The tournament matches are scheduled for January 26, 27, and 29, as well as February 1 and 3. The games will be held at the stadium of the football club Sochi academy.