The football draw for the 2025 Island Games in Orkney has taken place. Earlier in September, a draw took place for all interested islands for the 12 men’s and 12 women’s spots. The numbers in 2025 are reduced due to the limited accommodation available in Orkney. Thankfully, both our men’s and women’s teams were lucky enough to get a spot in the tournament.
Format
Both tournaments follow the same format. There are three groups, with hosts Orkney being Seed 1 in both tournaments. The other two seeded sides are the gold and silver medalists from Guernsey 2023. The rest of the teams have then been randomly drawn into the groups. The three group winners and the best runner-up will then progress to the semi-finals, with the remaining sides playing in positional playoffs.
Women’s Tournament
Ynys Môn has been drawn into Group 3 with Western Isles as the seeded side. We met them last time round at Guernsey 2023 where we were beaten 6-1. We improved drastically after that first game of the tournament, so we’re hoping for revenge this time around. We’ve never met Menorca before. They’ve entered the women’s football twice before and have finished 6th and 4th, so they’ll be tough opposition. The final side in the group is Hitra. We’ve met them once before in 2019 where we fell to a narrow 3-2 defeat. It’s a tough group we’ve been drawn into, but hopes are high after wins against Guernsey and Jersey in 2023.
Men’s Tournament
After finishing as runners-up in 2023, Ynys Môn men have been seeded for the 2025 tournament. This means avoiding Jersey and hosts Orkney in the Group Stage. We have been drawn with Menorca who we’ve only met once, back in 2007 with a 6-1 loss in a positional playoff (9th-11th). The men will face the Western Isles, which will be the third time we’ve met. The first meeting was a 0-0 draw in 2005. The most recent game was a 2-1 win in the 2019 groups, so this match-up should be a close one. The final side in Group 3 will be Bermuda. It is believed this will again be an U23 developmental side. We met them in the 2023 Semi Finals where our lads produced a superb 2-0 win. The only other meeting was in 2007 where we won 2-1 in the Group Stage.