The 2026 edition of the prestigious Viareggio Cup kicked off on Monday in Italy, but three Nigerian teams — including Enugu Rangers — were unable to honour their opening fixtures due to visa complications.
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Organisers initially listed several matches as postponed, but further checks revealed that the affected teams failed to secure entry visas in time to travel to Italy before the start of the tournament.
Among the disrupted fixtures was the Group stage clash between ACF Fiorentina U18 and Enugu Rangers.
The Nigerian side could not arrive for the encounter because of the travel documentation setback.
Two other Nigerian teams — RBM Sports Club and Nexus Soccer Academy — were also affected.
Their matches against UYSS New York U18 and US Sassuolo U18 respectively were similarly impacted.
Despite the disruptions, several games went ahead as scheduled on the opening day of the renowned youth tournament as Mavlon FC from Nigeria join teams in opening day action.
ACF Fiorentina U18 began their campaign strongly with a dominant 5–1 victory over Vis Pesaro U19, while US Sassuolo U18 recorded a convincing 6–0 win against SS Signa.
In other matches, AS Police defeated KF Vllaznia Shkodër 2–0, while UYSS New York U18 played out a 1–1 draw with Lucchese 1905 U18. Another evenly contested encounter saw Genoa CFC U18 draw 1–1 with Mavlon FC U18.
Group stage action will continue on Tuesday with several fixtures lined up, including matches involving Magic Stars FC and Ojodu City FC.
Magic Stars FC are scheduled to face Spezia Calcio Youth, while Ojodu City FC will take on FK Crvena zvezda Youth as Nigerian representation in the competition continues.
The Viareggio Cup remains one of the most respected youth football tournaments in the world, providing a platform for young talents to showcase their abilities in front of international scouts and clubs.
