Top European clubs to participate in U13 Dubai Intercontinental Cup

For the fourth year running, the world-renowned Under 13 Dubai Intercontinental Football Cup will take place later this month in Dubai Sports City.

Since its inception in 2017, the Dubai Intercontinental U13 Football Cup, which is organised under the aegis of Dubai Sports Council (DSC), has grown in popularity with prominent global youth squads taking part every year. Starting with 12 teams in 2017, the tournament has grown to 24 teams for the 2020 edition.

Taking place from Feb.13 to 15, this year’s U13 Dubai Intercontinental Football Cup will bring Real Madrid (Spain), Celta Vigo (Spain), FC Barcelona (Spain), Bayern Munich (Germany), Arsenal (England), Inter Milano (Italy), FC Porto (Portugal), Muscat Football Academy (Oman), Al Nasr (UAE), Al Wasl (UAE), Shabab Al Ahli Dubai (UAE), Al Wahda (UAE), Zamalek (Egypt), Jef United (Japan), Pyramids (Egypt), Maldives National Team (Maldives), Levante Azzuro (Italy), ZedFC (Egypt), Wakatake (Japan), Al Fateh (Saudi Arabia), Canada Select (Canada), and, of course, the in-house Spanish Soccer School (UAE).

Details of the tournament were revealed at Wednesday’s press conference in Dubai Press Club’s swanky new premises with Saeed Hareb, Secretary General of Dubai Sports Club, and David De Gea, the Spain and Manchester United goalkeeper, present alongside Michel Salgado, the ambassador for Spanish Soccer School and a Real Madrid legend.

Speaking on the occasion, Hareb said: “First, I would like to thank David De Gea for taking time out of his busy schedule to come here to support this tournament, and to encourage and inspire the young players who will be taking part.

“I would also like to thank Michel Salgado for all his efforts in launching this tournament and making sure it keeps growing with every edition.

“The U13 Dubai Intercontinental Cup is a really important tournament for us at Dubai Sports Council because it is part of our initiatives to improve grassroots football in the country, and we are really pleased with the year-on-year growth this tournament has witnessed since its launch in 2017.

“This year, we have attracted 24 teams from 12 different countries and the tournament will be an opportunity for more than 400 young talents to showcase their skills. The cream of European talent will be here with teams from Real Madrid, FC Barcelona, Celta Vigo, Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Inter Milan and FC Porto taking part.

“There are four UAE club teams - Al Nasr, Al Wasl, Shabab Al Ahli and Al Wahda - taking part as well, and this tournament will be an invaluable experience and opportunity for not just the Emirati players from these teams, but even the technical staff accompanying them because they will get to watch and learn from the staff coming here with these top professional clubs from around the world. Our players will gain in confidence and experience playing against best talents at European clubs. They will be able to see first-hand how the players at the top clubs train, how they manage themselves and their time.

“This tournament is also special because it gives us an early glimpse into the future as many players from here will go on to represent their clubs and countries, and win many titles with them. So our best wishes to everyone and we hope to see this event grow even bigger in the coming years and become the premier under-13 football tournament in the world.”

Michel Salgado, ambassador for the Spanish Soccer School, added: “Every year we are improving our competition and making things even bigger and better. Not only do we have around 400 young talents participating from twelve different countries, we are also exposing our players to really good quality competition. With all the top teams coming to our event, we know that the future stars of football will be playing on our pitches.”

He added: “With so many teams playing, it’s a great learning experience for all players involved, especially when it comes to diversity, culture and respect -- all important values required in educating kids.”

Iñaki Beni, Football Academy Manager at the Spanish Soccer School, said: “This is a huge opportunity for Dubai to host the best football players at the age of 13 for the fourth time. This age is key in their football development, and will expose our local talents to the best challenges they could face.

“We are very honored to work together with Dubai Sports Council to bring these kinds of opportunities to what we consider to be our home city.”

As well as action on the pitch, off-pitch entertainment will be available for the whole family to enjoy with the exciting Intercontinental Cup Fan Zone. The Fan Zone will include live entertainment, a variety of food and beverage options, and fun interactive activities throughout the three-day tournament. The event will be broadcast live on Dubai TV.