As reigning world champions, Team Nigeria has brought honor to our country, and this year’s tournament promises to be just as exciting as the last. Boys born in 2007 and 2008 are eligible to participate, with regional qualifying tournaments scheduled to take place in Enugu, Abuja, Jos, and Lagos, respectively. The National finals will be held at the UNEC stadium in Enugu, from April 26th to 30th.

Over 600 players representing 64 teams will be participating in the tournament, showcasing their skills and vying for regional titles. The regional champions and all-star teams from each of the regions will advance to the national finals in Enugu, where a national champion will be crowned. The top 10 players from the tournament will be selected to represent Team Nigeria in Munich at the FC Bayern World Finals, where they will compete against the best young players from other countries to defend their title.

Victor Edeh, tournament director of the FC Bayern Youth Cup Nigeria and VOE Foundation representative, expressed his excitement for the tournament, stating, “We are confident that this year's tournament will provide an excellent platform for new talent to emerge and follow in the footsteps of the young and promising football players like Daniel Francis, Kelvin Agho and Barnabas Moses who have developed into professional players after being discovered at the youth cup. It gives us immense pride to continue our partnership with Bayern Munich for the sixth year in a row. Their dedication towards promoting the sport in Nigeria is clearly visible through the support that Nigerian academies, coaches, and players receive from the Bayern Campus. This assistance takes the form of apparel, coach training, and valuable knowledge-sharing from the Bayern academy, which are crucial in the development of outstanding players.

We are also delighted to welcome our new partners, Integral and Brookehouse college, who have joined us this year to help us deliver the leading youth tournament in Nigeria.”

Integral’s representative, Murtala Lanval, expressed their enthusiasm for the tournament, “We are thrilled to be a part of this program. Bayern Munich is one of the most prominent clubs in football, and we see the incredible value in the football development Bayern Munich and VOE Foundation bring to Nigeria. We are confident that this program is sustainable and will promote the growth and development of football in Nigeria. We are proud to play a key role in delivering the Bayern Youth Cup in Nigeria and we look forward to its success.”

FC Bayern Legend and World Cup winner, Hans Pflugler, will be making his second trip to Nigeria for this tournament. He expressed his eagerness, “After Team Nigeria’s outstanding performance last year, I’m thrilled to return to the land of the FC Bayern Youth Cup World Final 2022 Champions. Our partners’ work in Nigeria has produced tremendous results, and we will build upon this success to discover the next 10 young talents that will defend the title.”

Registration for the tournament is now open, and we encourage all teams and schools with young football players to sign up and take part. We are confident that this year's tournament will exceed all expectations and provide even more excitement and competition than the previous editions.

We look forward to welcoming players, coaches, and spectators to this year's tournament, and we cannot wait to see the incredible talent on display.

To register for the tournament, please visit the tournament website, www.YouthCupNigeria.com, and follow the registration process.