Menorca will not be participating in the football tournaments at the 2025 Island Games.

The IGA Menorca Association has confirmed that due to the high costs of travel, accommodation and other expenses, their men’s and women’s football teams will not participate in Orkney in July.

They are not the first organisation to withdraw, with Guernsey and Aland having already pulled out their teams, handing a reprieve to Isle of Man.

An IGA Menorca statement read: “This decision has been made after an exhaustive economic and logistical analysis, prioritizing ensuring the participation of the largest possible number of athletes in the maximum disciplines that are part of the upcoming games in Orkney. However, budgetary limitations force us to adjust the total expedition of athletes and, unfortunately, this measure directly affects the football teams.

“We would like to emphasize that this decision does not reflect a lack of commitment to Menorcan football, but the complicated economic reality that we face in managing such a large and diverse delegation for an international competition like the Island Games. The viability of the project depends, among other factors, on responsible management by IGA Menorca, and this means that sometimes decisions like this have to be made.

“At IGA Menorca, we sincerely appreciate the effort, dedication and enthusiasm of all the players involved, as well as the support of the JIM throughout the biennium. We will continue to work so that Menorcan sport continues to have a strong international presence and can continue to offer opportunities to all our athletes.”

The Island Games is the only real time that the Menorca national team plays games, and the men’s team won the bronze medal at the 2015 Island Games.

At the last edition in 2023, Menorca finished a lowly 12th, losing three of their four games.