Cerefin reflects on a breakout year for UEFA competitions with holiday message of unity and peace

December 22 – In an end of year message, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has emphasised the ‘trust’ and ‘enduring ways’ the European game has crossed boundaries and backgrounds to create ‘resilience and shared belonging’.

It has been a busy year for UEFA that has seen it break records and set new milestones across both its competition eco-system and its development and social responsibility activity.

Ceferin (pictured) said that the focus is firmly on 2026 and “to fresh ideas, steady and sustainable advancement, and the higher standards we must set”.

“Over the past year, UEFA has worked closely with a broad community of stakeholders and partners on our competitions, sustainability, development and many other priorities that shape the game of football. The achievements of 2025 and, more importantly, the trust strengthened through this cooperation, will outlast any single season. I extend my sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to another remarkable year for European football,” said Ceferin.

“The true measure of sport is never found only on the scoreboard. It is also found in the quiet, enduring ways football brings people together: across borders and backgrounds, between generations, and through moments of joy, resilience and shared belonging. At its best, our game reminds us that we are part of something larger than ourselves – and that progress is possible when we move with purpose, not just pace.”

The highlight of UEFA’s year was Women’s EURO 2025 in Switzerland which set new standards with record crowds, viewership and fan engagement – 657,291 supporters attended matches with 29 of 31 fixtures sold out, while broadcast audiences also reached new heights, with 412 million watching live and more than 500 million following overall.

“The ‘Here to Stay’ UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 legacy plan, backed by €11 million in funding, is already driving record numbers of female players, coaches and referees in Switzerland, while debutants Poland and Wales have used the tournament as a springboard to increase participation and investment. Germany will look to build on the 2025 edition as they prepare to host UEFA Women’s EURO 2029,” said UEFA.

In his message Ceferin points to the breakaway success of new competition formats and the first year of the league phase format in UEFA’s men’s competitions that saw the Champions League Matchday 8 when all 36 teams took the pitch at the same time on an evening of unprecedented action which featured 64 goals.

He also pointed to new hosts and new participants with Albania (Under-17), the Faroe Islands (Women’s Under-17), Moldova (Futsal Under-19) and San Marino (Regions’ Cup) solely hosting a UEFA competition for the first time.

Sustainability has long been a theme of UEFA competitions with Euro 2025 seeing 86% of fans travel sustainably and the implementation of sustainable signage and packaging across all eight stadiums.

Across the four club finals, a record 315 sustainability initiatives were implemented while the Youth League final was the first-ever car-free UEFA final.

In 2025 UEFA also introduced a dedicated carbon emissions methodology to help football organisations measure construction-related emissions, released the UEFA Carbon Reduction Plan launched a two-year sustainability cooperation plan with European Football Clubs (EFC) to support clubs’ long-term strategic sustainability investments.

On its 10^th anniversary, the UEFA Foundation for Children launched a special €1 million fund for national association initiatives- to date it has supported 577 projects and awarded €54 million in grants that benefitted over 5.7 million children in 147 countries.

Ceferin also highlighted the UEFA Respect Forum held in May and the FootbALL Awards, recognising outstanding work in inclusivity, anti-discrimination and community initiatives.

UEFA also launched UEFA Together, an intercontinental programme that sees collaboration with all five sister confederations through strategic, knowledge-sharing partnerships.

Other initiatives included the fourth UEFA Coach Mentor Programme; the UEFA Grassroots Conference that brought together all 55 national associations; UEFA Playmakers, a programme designed to introduce girls to football; and the 10th anniversary of UEFA Grow, which provides UEFA national associations with tailored strategic support to strengthen foundations and deliver measurable returns.

“To everyone who carries football in their heart, I wish a peaceful holiday season, good health and a prosperous 2026,” said Ceferin.

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