Just like the previous years, there is a list of incredibly strong participants during the Easter weekend. The eleventh edition of the Future Cup has teams from Italy, England, Mexico, and Denmark. The participating teams are Ajax, Juventus, Chelsea FC, RSC Anderlecht, Paris Saint-Germain, CF Pachuca, FC Nordsjælland, and Borussia Mönchengladbach. Do you want to be there during Easter weekend? Order your tickets now.
Ajax
The host of the internationally highly renowned youth tournament for U17 teams. The Amsterdam- based team won the Future Cup five times (2010, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2018) and made it to the finals during the last three editions. A remarkable detail is that Ajax has only failed to make it to the finals once: in 2016, the final duel was held between Arsenal and Anderlecht. So far, it's the only Future Cup final without Ajax's participation.
On behalf of Ajax, multiple great players have taken part in the tournament. Davy Klaassen, Matthijs de Ligt, Ryan Gravenberch, and Abdelhak Nouri have won the prize for Best Player of the Future Cup.
Juventus
The Italians are the current champion of the tournament. During the last Future Cup in 2019, they beat Ajax 2-1. Thanks to goals from Ervin Omic and Cosimo Da Garcia, Juventus won for the first time. One year prior to that, the Old Lady faced Ajax in the finals too but lost 2-0.
Juventus is participating in the tournament at De Toekomst for the fifth time. They first took part in 2015. One of the most famous players in current football who ever played in the Future Cup is Moise Kean. The Italian followed Juventus's youth academy and re-joined the club in the summer of 2021.
Chelsea FC
A debutant in the eleventh edition. After Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea is the fifth English participant in the history of the tournament. Only Arsenal was ever able to win the Future Cup. In 2016, the English superpower beat Anderlecht after penalties.
RSC Anderlecht
A regular participant. The Belgians participated in all ten earlier editions. Interestingly, Anderlecht is, together with Ajax, the only team who participated in the tournament at De Toekomst every year. The Belgian team took the cup home three times.
Important to notice is that Anderlecht won all three finals it played against Ajax. In 2011, they won 1-0, in 2013 2-0, and in 2015 the southern neighbours won after penalties.
Dennis Praet and Youri Tielemans (both Leicester City) have worn the Anderlecht jersey during past Future Cup editions. After the last one in 2019 Anouar Ait El Hadj (currently at KRC Genk), was chosen as Best Player of the tournament and was the top scorer with four goals.
Paris Saint-Germain
The French champion will also make its way down to Amsterdam during Easter weekend. Paris Saint-Germain takes part in the tournament for the fourth time in a row. So far, it's the only French club to ever participate. The highest PSG has made it on the Future Cup rank is seventh place.
CF Pachuca
Another one of Ajax's new partner clubs, CF Pachuca, will participate in the eleventh edition of the Future Cup. Since August 2022, both clubs work together on knowledge and talent development. The Mexicans are, just like Ajax, known for their ability to raise talent and house one of the biggest youth academies in Mexico.
It's the first time CF Pachuca take part in the Future Cup. Besides them, no other Mexican team has ever participated in the tournament. The South American U17 teams from Corinthians, Desportivo Brasil, São Paulo FC, Fluminense FC, and Boca Juniors did previously participate.
FC Nordsjælland
Just like Chelsea and CF Pachuca, FC Nordsjælland is another debutant this Future Cup. It's the first time a Scandinavian team joins the tournament. The Danish club is the former employer of Ajax player Mohammed Kudus.
Borussia Mönchengladbach
The fourth debutant to join the tournament is Borussia Mönchengladbach. After FC Bayern München and Schalke 04, Borussia Mönchengladbach is the third German team to participate in the Future Cup. Schalke 04 joined once in 2015, while FC Bayern München played the tournament four times.
