The jubilee edition of the prestigious tournament for young footballers under 16 brings together all top Croatian club selections and a team from the diaspora. Dinamo defends the title with an impressive tradition of 12 victories in 14 previous editions.
From Wednesday, July 29, to Saturday, August 1, 2026, Karlovac and Duga Resa will host the jubilee 15th Memorial Tournament "Branko Čavlović, Čavlek" for young footballers under 16. The tournament is one of the most prestigious youth football competitions in Croatia, and this anniversary edition brings an exceptionally strong lineup of participants, including all leading Croatian club academies.
The defending champion is Dinamo Zagreb, which has won an incredible 12 times in the 14 previous editions of the tournament. The remaining two victories were shared by Rijeka and Austria's Admira, which speaks to Dinamo's near-complete dominance in the competition's history. However, this year's tournament promises a real test of strength, as all key rivals are here with the intention of breaking Dinamo's streak.
The competition takes place in two groups. Group Korana consists of Dinamo Zagreb, Osijek, Slaven Belupo from Koprivnica, and host Karlovac 1919, while Group Kupa features Hajduk Split, Lokomotiva Zagreb, Rijeka, and the Croatian diaspora selection. The group stage matches are played at two stadiums: the Branko Čavlović Čavlek Stadium in Karlovac and the City Stadium in Duga Resa.
The participation of a selection of players from the Croatian diaspora, which traditionally completes the tournament's participant list, attracts special attention. According to information from the portal Kaportal, the Croatian Football Federation (HNS) is monitoring these young talents with the aim of their eventual engagement in official Croatian national teams. Thus, the tournament gains a broader purpose, as it represents a platform for discovering and attracting promising players with Croatian roots who grow up abroad.
On the first competition day, Wednesday, July 29, matches in Karlovac include Osijek vs. Karlovac 1919 at 10:00 and Dinamo vs. Slaven Belupo at 18:30, while in Duga Resa, Lokomotiva meets Hajduk at 10:30 and Rijeka meets Croatian diaspora at 18:30. The second day, Thursday, July 30, brings battles between Lokomotiva and Croatian diaspora, and Karlovac 1919 and Dinamo in Karlovac, while in Duga Resa, Osijek plays Slaven Belupo and Hajduk plays Rijeka. The group stage concludes on Friday, July 31, with matches between Dinamo and Osijek, and Croatian diaspora and Hajduk in Karlovac, as well as encounters between Lokomotiva and Rijeka, and Karlovac 1919 and Slaven Belupo in Duga Resa.
The final day is scheduled for Saturday, August 1. In Duga Resa, the match for seventh place starts at 10:30, while Karlovac hosts the match for fifth place at 10:30, followed by the match for third place at 18:00, and finally the tournament final at 19:15. Karlovac 1919 sees its participation in this tournament as an excellent test against elite company, and the home audience will have the opportunity to watch some of the most talented young footballers in the country live.
The tournament is named after Branko Čavlović Čavlek, after whom the stadium in Karlovac is also named. The memorial tournament, which is being held for the 15th time this year, is one of the lasting forms of remembrance of him, and also an important part of the Croatian youth football calendar that attracts an increasingly strong list of participants every year.
