Close to three hundred teams will descend on Canberra this week for the 2023 edition of the KEEPUP Kanga Cup, one of the largest youth football tournaments in the Southern Hemisphere.

The teams took part in the Opening Ceremony on Sunday, presented by Hit 104.7, the event that officially opens the competition and introduces the competing teams to the watching public ahead of five days of explosive action, where new stars will emerge, and iconic moments will be celebrated.

“The KEEPUP Kanga Cup has been a mainstay of the football calendar over the past thirty-plus years, and we are extremely excited to, once again, welcome footballers from across Australia and beyond to Canberra for a week of wonderful action,” Capital Football CEO, Ivan Slavich, said.

“Whilst the competitive action is surely going to be strong, the ethos of the tournament has never changed, it’s a chance to create lasting memories and friendships utilising our great game as the platform to do so.”

There will be over one thousand matches played across six venues in Canberra as the 295 teams meet on forty-seven fields for a chance to make Finals Day where a huge thirty-one fixtures will decide Champions of the Cup, Plate and Shield.

Off the pitch the teams will sample everything that Canberra has to offer, the vibrant Capital City enjoying a welcome economic boost from the thousands of visitors that will travel to the ACT and surrounding region.

Excitingly for the tournament, the 2023 edition welcomes new Naming Rights Partners in KEEPUP, the go-to for latest breaking news for A-League and other football leagues.

“We’re looking forward to an exciting week of youth football at the KEEPUP Kanga Cup, likely featuring some Matildas and Socceroos of the future,” Danny Townsend, CEO of Australian Professional Leagues, home to the KEEPUP digital brand, commented.

“The Kanga Cup has established itself as one of the largest and longest-standing youth football tournaments in the world and we are strongly aligned in celebrating and fostering emerging talent.

“As football continues to skyrocket in popularity and participation, KEEPUP has an important role to play in connecting fans, and players, with the game they love.”

The KEEPUP Kanga Cup takes place in Canberra from Monday 3 July to Friday 7 July 2023.

KEEPUP Kanga Cup. Fun. Friendship. Football.