Island Games 2025: Groups drawn for men’s and women’s football competitions in Orkney

The men’s and women’s groups have been drawn for the football tournament at the 2025 International Island Games in Orkney.

There will be plenty of excitement among the Ynys Môn squads with the men having won the silver medal in 2023 and the women finishing fifth – their best-ever placing at an official Island Games.

Last year, Ynys Môn men lost 5-2 to Jersey in the football final, despite leading 2-1 through an own goal and wonder strike from Sam Gregson.

Despite having to settle for silver it had been an amazing week for Môn, who topped their group with three straight wins and beat Bermuda 2-0 in the semis before finding a good Jersey side a bridge too far.

It was Ynys Môn men’s sixth Island Games football final, but the fifth they have lost, their only gold medal coming in 1999.

Anglesey also won the one-off Inter-Games football tournament on home territory in 2019, the women finishing runners-up in the same competition.

Here are the 2025 football groups

Men’s Group

Ynys Môn
Menorca
Western Isles
Bermuda

Women’s Group

Ynys Môn
Menorca
Western Isles
Hitra

When’s it all happening?

The Orkney 2025 International Island Games will take place from 12-18 July 2025.

Orkney will host the 20th International Island Games in its landmark 40th year since it all began.

This week-long event will see athletes from up to 24 island groups from across the world compete in 12 sports: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Bowls, Cycling, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Sailing, Squash, Swimming, and Triathlon.

The football will be a mini-league round-robin format. The top team from each group will progress to a semi-final. All other teams will play a ‘placing game’ after the groups.

The competition will be limited to no more than 12 teams. If there are fewer than 12, historical computations will be used in order to give teams as equal a number of games as possible.

Orkney, also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago (extensive group of islands) off the north coast of Scotland. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited.

LAST TIME OUT – GUERNSEY 2023

Ynys Môn achieved its best ever medal tally at an Island Games two years ago.

Anglesey picked up 18 medals in Guernsey 2023 – six gold, seven silver and five bronze.

Overall, Môn finished ninth out of 24 competing islands in the final medals table.