The young Blues, featuring players from the U11s, U12s and U13s, came up against some of the best academies across Europe, South America and North America and picked up impressive wins against the likes of PSG and Chelsea.
Alongside four days of football at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports, the youngsters also enjoyed visits to all of the Disney parks and got to meet football icons Rivaldo, Javier Zanetti and Esteban Cambiasso.
Town got things underway with a 4-0 win over PSG and went on to finish the first day with three wins out of three, beating Fundación Pupi 12-1 and Chivas Guadalajara 4-1.
Stop what you are doing and watch this goal. ⤵️😮💨 pic.twitter.com/k1PlPl5T9R
— Ipswich Town Academy (@ITFCAcademy) June 3, 2026
The second group stage got off to a winning start with a 4-2 win over Inter Miami, an 11-1 loss to eventual champions River Plate followed, but Ipswich bounced back with a 2-1 win over Chelsea to advance into the top eight.
Their run in the tournament ended with a closely-fought 3-2 defeat to Benfica in the quarter-finals. There were also narrow defeats in exhibition matches against Leoni Di Potrero Italia and AS Roma.
A fantastic end to the MagiCup! 💙 pic.twitter.com/BSaSVWARzb
— Ipswich Town Academy (@ITFCAcademy) June 5, 2026
Coach development manager Steven Bartlett, who led the academy side, told TownTV: “It's been a really valuable experience both in performances on the pitch and in behaviours and performances away from the pitch.
"It's all part of the journey, all part of the experience that we want the players to have. We had some expectations when we were coming out here and I think on the pitch we have surpassed what those expectations were."
Academy manager, Ben Chenery, said: “The MagiCup tournament allowed both players and staff to experience a prestigious tournament against some of the best academies from around the world.
Meeting an icon of the game. 🤝
Rivaldo with our MagiCup team! 💙 pic.twitter.com/O61sxlSatm
— Ipswich Town Academy (@ITFCAcademy) May 31, 2026
“It’s a testament to the football club and academy’s upwards trajectory to be attending tournaments of this calibre. It has also allowed the players to experience all that Orlando has to offer and will have made memories that extend beyond football.
“The players will benefit greatly from the experience, being exposed to the relentless nature of tournament football. Above all, the staff and players have been able to connect with their counterparts from other academies and share their football experiences.”
"It's been a really enjoyable week but we've learned lots about football with the boys and also about them as characters and personalities."
Coach Development Manager Steven Bartlett reflects on our week at MagiCup. 🤝
— Ipswich Town Academy (@ITFCAcademy) June 7, 2026