City, Spurs and Porto send youth teams for Shanghai tourney
Youth teams from world football powerhouses like England's Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur as well as FC Porto of Portugal will gather in Shanghai for the 2023 Shanghai Future Star Cup, which will be held from August 26 to September 4.
As Shanghai's self-developed sports competition, the Shanghai Future Star Cup was introduced last year. Its second edition – at the SAIC Motor Pudong Arena – has attracted eight youth teams.
The eight teams for the Shanghai Future Star Cup are divided into two groups.
Apart from the host Shanghai Team, the other teams are: English Premier League sides City and Spurs, Portuguese Primeira Liga runner-up Porto, K League champion Ulsan Hyundai, J League side Cerezo Osaka, as well as teams sent by Qatar's Aspire Academy and Vietnam's PVF Football Academy.
All players are aged under 16 years. The teams are divided into two groups for single round-robin matches before the knockout round. A total of 20 matches will be played in a week.
The organizers will also arrange forums for coaches and youth training directors to share their experience.
Jointly organized by the Shanghai Sports Bureau and the Shanghai Football Association, the tournament aims to provide young Chinese players with a high-level international platform where they can exchange skills with their foreign counterparts and improve their standards.
"This is a high-level tournament, gathering big teams from the English and Portuguese premier leagues," said retired Shanghai player Cheng Yaodong. "Hope the young players can cherish this opportunity and present their best form."
Cheng and Shanghai Shenhua captain Wu Xi were invited for the draw ceremony of the tournament.
Retired Shanghai player Cheng Yaodong (left) and Shanghai Shenhua captain Wu Xi take part in the draw ceremony for the youth tournament.
Shanghai Sports Bureau director Xu Bin receives a jersey from Manchester City.
