Udinese officially inaugurated their 2026/27 season at Moretti Park, with over 3,500 cheering fans in attendance to see their team before their Serie A opener against Como. For an evening, the colours of Udinese returned to one of the iconic places in club history, creating a bridge between past and present in the season that will mark their 130th anniversary.
The event was hosted by Sky Sport journalist Marina Presello and Alessandro Pomare. The evening featured music, entertainment and many activities dedicated to Udinese fans. The presidents of the Udinese club associations, GUCA and AUC, also took the stage. Then came the delegation of UPC Tavagnacco, a local women’s football club that has been one of Udinese’s partners for years. As the evening drew closer to the main event, there was the presentation of the club’s U20 team, who took the stage along with the new Head of the Udinese Academy, Jose Rodriguez. “We are working to see these lads one day play for the first team. We are here to work with them as players, but above all as people. I am honoured to be here in front of you fans,” said Rodriguez, while their coach, Julio Gutierrez, added: “We’ve prepared well and we want to perform well. We are ready to make our Coppa Italia debut.”
The event was also attended by the Vice President of the region and Regional Minister for Culture and Sport Mario Anzil, Udine’s Deputy Mayor Alessandro Venanzi and the President of CONI FVG Andrea Marcon. They were joined onstage by the Administrative Director of Udinese Calcio Alberto Rigotto and Managing Director of Udinese Calcio Franco Collavino, who had this to say: “I am very excited to be here, in what used to be the home of Udinese for 52 years. This event is not just the team presentation, but also a moment where the team meet their community. We are proud to represent Friuli, especially as we prepare to celebrate the club’s 130th anniversary. I wish the team every success and I want to thank the fans for their support.”
Then the wait was finally over, and the fans gathered in front of the stage got to see the first-team staff, group Technical Director Gian Luca Nani, Head of the Technical Department Gokhan Inler and all the players.
“The new season is about to start and we need to keep working hard,” said Nani. “We want to have a good season. The transfer window always has some surprises in store, so we need to be ready.”
Gokhan Inler also spoke and said: “We need to work hard, keep our feet on the ground and keep moving forward, one step at a time. I want to thank our fans for always supporting the team. We need a good team because Serie A is not an easy league. I’m happy that our players are all committed. See you on Saturday!”
Then it was team captain Jesper Karlstrom’s turn to speak, who greeted the fans and shared his thoughts ahead of the new season. Next to him were coach Kosta Runjaic and Gianpaolo Pozzo, who was greeted with great excitement by the fans in attendance. Their words concluded an evening of celebration, passion and sense of belonging.
“I am very happy to be here. There are so many of you tonight. Thank you for your support. I can’t wait to start the new season. I will give it my all for the team and for you. I really like it here in Udine,” said the coach.
Pozzo then said: “These forty years have gone by very fast. Now we want to do even better. We believe in this group and this coach, who has improved year after year. I used to come here to Moretti Park as a fan, 70 years ago. I want to thank all the fans. We need you. Your chanting was very moving.”