In the lead-up to the Olympia Future Cup on April 4, 5 and 6, we are putting players from Ajax U17 in the spotlight. Meet Denzel Darko, left-winger or number ten. "I'm a player who likes to dribble, to get past te opponent."
Meet Luca de Baat, an attacker in the team taking part in the Future Cup. "This is the biggest tournament I’ve played in so far. I want to entertain the crowd."
This is Bianief Peters, the full-back in Stan Bijl's squad. ''The Future Cup is a benchmark for us. Only top clubs take part.''
Meet Imran Talai, midfielder of Stan Bijl’s side. "My role model is Ryan Gravenberch. I'm that type of player as well."
The Olympia Future Cup is just around the corner. Ajax U17 are preparing for a tournament in which performance and development go hand in hand. Coach Stan Bijl won the tournament himself as a player and now finds himself on the sidelines as the team's coach. We speak with Bijl in the build up to the international youth tournament held on 4, 5 and 6 April at the De Toekomst sports complex. "Playing under pressure, facing strong opponents, with spectators and media around you, that truly helps their development towards the highest level."
Ajacieden will not have to miss a single moment of the Olympia Future Cup 2026. All matches of Ajax’s international U17 youth tournament will be broadcast live on the club’s channels over the Easter weekend. The fourteenth edition of the Olympia Future Cup will take place on April 4, 5 and 6, 2026 at sports complex De Toekomst.
For years, Ajax has maintained strong connections all over the world, from Gamba Osaka (Japan) to Pachuca CF (Mexico), and from Como (Italy) to Sharjah FC (United Arab Emirates). In recent years, several of these partner clubs have taken part in the Olympia Future Cup with their U17 teams. This year, however, a different approach has been chosen: Future United. ''An ambitious plan.''