2016 Istria Cup

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The 2016 Istria Cup

The 2016 Istria Cup was a women's football invitational tournament held in Istria, Croatia from March 2 to 7, 2016. It took place concurrently with the 2016 Algarve Cup, 2016 SheBelieves Cup, and 2016 Cyprus Cup, featuring eight teams competing in a group stage format.

The tournament was hosted by Croatian women's football associations and was part of an annual tradition since its inception in 2013 under the name Slavic Cup. This year's edition saw participation from national teams as well as junior and B-level squads, with only two A-team representatives among the eight participating nations. The teams were ranked according to their FIFA World Rankings at the time of December 2015.

The matches took place across various venues in Croatia, including the City Stadium (Stella Maris Complex) in Umag, Dajla, and Poreč. Notably, only group stage matches were played during this edition, with no placement or knockout stages held due to FIFA's classification of these games as "friendly matches." As a result, teams were allowed six substitutions per match, but the results against B-level and U-19 teams did not count towards their official FIFA World Rankings.

The tournament featured two groups: Group A and Group B. The group stage format involved each team playing every other team in their respective group for placement purposes. The best score determined the final ranking, followed by direct comparisons and goal differences if necessary. However, no placement matches were held during this edition of the Istria Cup.

The 2016 Istria Cup provided an opportunity for national teams to compete against one another while also showcasing junior and B-level talent in women's football.