Inaugural Cali-Baja Cup to Bring About 70 Youth Soccer Teams to Calexico
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The Mexican Consulate in Calexico and the city of Calexico announced the inaugural Cali-Baja Cup, a binational youth soccer tournament expected to bring about 70 teams from Mexico, California, Arizona, and other communities to the border city for a weekend of competition.
The tournament will feature players ages 4 to 18 and is intended to promote youth sports while strengthening ties between communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.
Mexican Consul Rocío Vázquez Álvarez said the consulate’s participation reflects its efforts to strengthen cooperation and relationships between Baja California and California.
“We know that sports cross borders and unite families,” Vázquez Álvarez said in Spanish. She added that athletics can play an important role in the development of younger generations.
Calexico Mayor Victor Legaspi said the tournament will bring young players from Mexicali, communities across California, Yuma, Arizona, and other areas to Calexico.
“This is very important for the city of Calexico, as well as Mexicali, our sister city,” Legaspi said. “It brings a lot of joy for our youth.”
Legaspi said soccer has a strong following in Calexico and encouraged residents and visitors to attend the tournament and support the participating players.
Carmen Estrada, president of the Cali-Baja Cup organizing committee, said the idea for the tournament developed after local teams regularly traveled to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and other cities to compete.
Estrada said representatives of other competitions encouraged the group to establish a tournament in Calexico.
“It is not easy, but it is not impossible,” Estrada said in Spanish. “We are making it happen.”
About 70 teams are expected to participate, according to Estrada. The organizing committee has been working with community members and sports representatives to coordinate the competition and prepare for the players, families, and visitors expected during the weekend.
The event will begin with an opening ceremony at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 6:30 p.m. Participating teams will take part in a procession, and the ceremony will include performances and the national anthems of Mexico and the United States.
Tournament games will take place Saturday and Sunday.
Food and other activities will also be available during the event, which is being planned as a family-oriented gathering in addition to the soccer competition.
The tournament is expected to bring players and their families into Calexico throughout the weekend, potentially generating additional activity for local restaurants and other businesses.
The Cali-Baja Cup is intended to become an annual event, providing young athletes from both sides of the border with opportunities to compete while promoting sporting and community connections between the Imperial and Mexicali valleys.
