Future Cup


The Future Cup is an annual friendly international youth tournament which is organized by the Dutch football club AFC Ajax. The tournament is created for under-17 youth teams, and is held at De Toekomst, every year during the Easter weekend. The tournament has been contested by some of the strongest under-17 teams in football, with FC Barcelona, Manchester United and Bayern München amongst the participating clubs. The first five editions of the tournament were named after its main sponsor, the insurance company AEGON, before the Dutch state-owned bank ABN AMRO took over as the main sponsor of the event. The tournament is broadcast on television in over 59 countries via Eredivisie Live, Eurosport and Fox Sports.

Qualification

8 teams participate in the Future Cup every year. Since Ajax are the tournament hosts, they are automatically entered, leaving 7 additional places available in the tournament. Six of the spots can be filled with a simple registration of an under-17 team from any club, while national teams are also able to register, such as the China U-17 team did when it competed in the first edition of the competition. The eighth and final position is filled by the winners of the Brazilian 'Craques Mongeral AEGON Future Cup - Um Torneio do Ajax' a parallel running competition for under-17 youth teams in South America which shares the same sponsor. The winner of that tournament is automatically seeded for the Future Cup in Amsterdam the next year, completing the 8 participants in the Cup challenge.

Format

The draw takes place ahead of the last home match of the Ajax first team ahead of the Future Cup. The 8 teams are then divided up into two groups during halftime of this match. The opening ceremony of the tournament takes place on the Friday evening before Easter, while the first matches are played on Holy Saturday. The first two group stage matches are played for each team on this day, while the last two group stage matches are then contested on Easter Sunday. The finals are played on Monday, the second Easter day. The day starts with the matches for the 7th and 8th place, which are contested by the two teams who finished bottom of their groups. Afterwards the two semi-finals are played. The group winners of each group compete against the second place team of the other group, and after the two semi-finals the matches for 5th and 6th place are contested against the third place team from each group. The matches for 3rd and 4th place are then contested amongst the losers of the Semi-finals, which is concluded by the Cup final, deciding the 1st and 2nd place. The awards and trophies are awarded directly after the Final, at which all teams and coaches are present.

Finals

Statistics accurate as of ABN AMRO Future Cup 2019.
YearDateWinnerResultFinalist
201922 April 2019Juventus 2–1 Ajax
20182 April 2018Ajax 2–0 Juventus
201717 April 2017Ajax 2–0 Bayern München
201628 March 2016Arsenal 0–0 Anderlecht
20156 April 2015Anderlecht 0–0 Ajax
201421 April 2014Ajax 2–1 Liverpool
20131 April 2013Anderlecht 2–0 Ajax
20129 April 2012Ajax 2–2 Manchester United
201125 April 2011Anderlecht 1–0 Ajax
20105 April 2010Ajax 1–0 China U-17

Prizes

The winner of the Future Cup are obvious winners of the tournament. For this information please see the next segment below. Other prizes are however awarded in conclusion, which are handed out by prominent former and current Ajax members, with Frank de Boer, Martin Jol and Luis Suárez amongst those who have awarded the trophies. The man of the tournament is selected and awarded the adidas Best player of ABN AMRO Future Cup award. Below is a list of the prize winners over the years:
YearPlayerClub:
2019 Anouar Ait El Hadj Anderlecht
2018 Naci Ünüvar Ajax
2017 Ryan Gravenberch Ajax
2016 Riqui Puig Barcelona
2015 Matthijs de Ligt Ajax
2014 Abdelhak Nouri Ajax
2013 Nabil Jaadi Anderlecht
2012 Queensy Menig Ajax
2011 Dennis Praet Anderlecht
2010 Davy Klaassen Ajax

Every year the prize adidas Top Scorer of ABN AMRO Future Cup is awarded to the top-scorer of the tournament. Below is a list of the top-scorers for each year:
YearTopscorerClubGoals
2019 Anouar Ait El Hadj Anderlecht4
2014 Oluwaseyi Ojo
Harry Wilson		 Liverpool4
2013 Václav Černý
Aaron Leya Iseka		 Ajax
Anderlecht		3
2012 Elton Acolatse
Ademir
Marco Pinato
Alperen Doğan		 Ajax
Desportivo
Milan
Beşiktaş JK		3
2011 Nicholas Pasifakis
Patrick Foss		 Ajax Cape Town
D.C. United		4
2010 Dominik Goßner Bayern München6

Statistics

Appearances and best results

Statistics accurate as of ABN AMRO Future Cup 2019.
Nr.ClubAppsFirst App.Best result
1. Ajax102010Winners
1. Anderlecht92010Winners
1. Juventus42015Winners
1. Arsenal22016Winners
2. Bayern München42010Runners-up
2. China U-1722010Runners-up
2. Liverpool22010Runners-up
2. Manchester United12012Runners-up
3. Barcelona42010Third place
3. Benfica42013Third place
3. Milan32010Third place
3. J. League U-1722017Third place
3. Porto12015Third place
4. Fluminense12011Fourth place
4. São Paulo12013Fourth place
4. Sporting CP12018Fourth place
4. Atlético Madrid12019Fourth place
5. Celtic32011Fifth place
5. Ajax Cape Town22011Fifth place
5. Desportivo Brasil12012Fifth place
5. Sydney FC12018Fifth place
5. Boca Juniors12019Fifth place
6. Tottenham Hotspur22013Sixth place
6. D.C. United12011Sixth place
6. Toronto FC12013Sixth place
6. Galatasaray12015Sixth place
6. Right to Dream12016Sixth place
7. Paris Saint-German32017Seventh place
7. Beşiktaş JK12012Seventh place
7. Corinthians12014Seventh place
7. Schalke 0412015Seventh place
7. Red Bull Salzburg12016Seventh place
7. Sevilla FC12018Seventh place
7. Sagan Tosu12019Seventh place
8. FC Dallas12010Eighth place
8. Fenerbahçe12014Eighth place
8. Olympiacos12016Eighth place

All-time cup winners

All-time top-scorers

Statistics accurate as of AEGON Future Cup 2014.
Nr.PlayerNationalityGoalsClub
1.Naci Ünüvar7Ajax
2.Dominik Goßner6Bayern München
3.Nicholas Pasifakis4Ajax Cape Town
3.Patrick Foss4D.C. United
3.Oluwaseyi Ojo4Liverpool
3.Harry Wilson4Liverpool
7.Václav Černý3Ajax
7.Aron Leya Iseka3Anderlecht
7.Elton Acolatse3Ajax
7.Ademir3Desportivo Brasil
7.Marco Pinato3Milan
7.Alperen Doğan3Beşiktaş JK
7.----

Participation by country

The under-17 youth teams of the following clubs have participated in the Future Cup tournament in the past.