Messi Cup 2026 to feature 16 youth academies in Fort Lauderdale from Oct 25 to Nov 1

The second edition of the Messi Cup, a youth friendly tournament named after Lionel Messi, will be staged at Inter Miami CF Stadium and the Florida Blue Training Centre in Fort Lauderdale from October 25 to November 1, 2026, with 16 teams competing.

The competition, designed to bring together academies from prominent clubs to aid player development, expands from eight entrants in its previous edition to 16 this year, doubling the field. Organisers have split the entrants into two groups and every side will play at least three group matches as part of the event for young players.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, moving the tournament into a knockout phase where the winner will be decided; on the final day both the final and the third-place match will be played at Chase Stadium. Matches will consist of two 40-minute halves.

Promotional material lists a series of U16 academies slated to take part, naming Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City, Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, UE Cornellà, Inter Miami, Inter Milan, Ajax, Benfica, Boca Juniors, Newell’s Old Boys and River Plate among the participants. Social media posts accompanying the announcement included the line: "¡La espera terminó! Estamos de vuelta.–The wait is over.We're back. pic.twitter.com/FTHJwXvA59"

A separate social post highlighted several entrants by name, stating: "The list of U16 academies competing in Messi’s “Messi Cup” tournament is STACKED 😳🔥🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Arsenal🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Chelsea🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Manchester City🇪🇸 Atlético de Madrid🇪🇸 Barcelona🇪🇸 UE Cornellà🇺🇸 Inter Miami🇮🇹 Inter 🇳🇱 Ajax🇵🇹 Benfica🇦🇷 Boca Juniors🇦🇷 Newell’s Old Boys🇦🇷 River Plate🇧🇷… pic.twitter.com/fCmMlaoxLg"

Fans around the world will be able to watch the Messi Cup on Disney+, ESPN+ and ESPN, though the stations may not be available in all areas. The organisers said the event will feature some of the world’s best young players competing against leading academies from across the globe.

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