Major League Soccer and MLS NEXT today announced details for the 2025 Generation adidas Cup, which will mark the largest and most competitive tournament to date. The 2025 edition of the premier international youth tournament will feature 80 teams, representing 14 different countries, and four continents. International powerhouses FC Bayern, Inter Milan, and Palmeiras will be among the clubs competing against MLS academies, including the Austin FC Academy, at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., from April 12-20. The 80 teams will be split evenly at the U18 and U16 age groups and will include four MLS NEXT Elite Academies (non-MLS academies) which qualified via their performance at MLS NEXT Fest in December 2024.
The Austin FC U18 and U16 teams will find out their group stage opponents in the coming days. In 2023, the Austin FC U-15 won the prestigious youth tournament.
Twenty-eight Generation adidas games, including championship matches in both age groups, will stream live on MLS’ YouTube page. Further Generation adidas Cup broadcast details, including the announcers and schedule of streamed matches, will be announced in the lead-up to the tournament.
“Generation adidas Cup showcases MLS’ successful player development pathway on the global stage as MLS academies compete against the world’s best,” said MLS Senior Vice President of Sporting Development Ali Curtis. “The quality of international competition and introduction of a new girls competition in 2025 further showcases MLS’ and adidas’ commitment to making Generation adidas Cup the top youth tournament in the world.”
"Our partnership with Major League Soccer is central to our growth plans for the sport of soccer in North America," said Zola Short, Sr. Director of Soccer Sports Marketing, adidas North America. "We are committed as a brand to growth at all levels of the game, none more so than at the youth level, which is why we look forward to a marquee event like Generation adidas Cup every year."
Top International Clubs to Compete
The 2025 Generation adidas Cup will see 18 different international clubs competing in U18 and U16 age groups. Notably, the tournament will include multiple clubs from four different continents – Asia, Europe, North America, and South America. Among the prestigious clubs participating are Inter Milan (U18), which will become the second team from Italy to compete (AS Roma, 2022), and first-time participants FC Bayern (U16) and VfB Stuttgart (U16). Independiente de Panama (U18) is set to become the inaugural Panamanian club to participate.
Competition Structure
Forty teams, organized into 10 groups of four, will compete in each of the two age groups. Group draws will be random, utilizing buckets categorized by division for MLS academies, while international clubs will be drawn randomly. Sixteen teams will advance to the single-elimination championship bracket – comprising the 10 group winners and the top six second-place finishers. The next-best 16 teams will enter a consolation bracket, with the final eight teams competing in consolation groups to provide additional competitive matches.
All teams competing in the 2025 Generation adidas Cup are guaranteed to play seven 60-minute matches, comprised of two 30-minute halves. The championship matches in both age groups will be extended to 70-minute matches. All contests that are tied at the end of regulation will go directly to a penalty-kick shootout.
After the conclusion of the tournament, awards will be presented in both age groups, recognizing the Most Valuable Player presented by adidas, Top Scorer, and Generation adidas Cup Best Goalkeeper presented by Allstate. The Best XI presented by adidas will highlight the top-performing players from each position at the competition.
