Dubai: Dubai will once again witness the cream of football talent from across the world when the eighth edition of the ‘Dubai Intercontinental Cup for Football Under 13’ kicks off from today (February 25).

Held in coordination and support of the Dubai Sports Council with the aim of attracting and developing future footballing talent, this year’s tournament will see more than 400 players in action when the event is held from February 25 to 28, 2025.

Starting with the favourites’ tag will be teams from original powerhouses including outstation sides Real Madrid, Chelsea, Milan, Bayern Munich, Celta Vigo, CSKA Moscow, Al Ittihad Saudi Club and Zaid FC. Challenging these teams will be a number of club and academy teams from the UAE, namely Al Nasr, Al Wasl, Shabab Al Ahli, Hatta, Al Wahda, Al Jazira, Sharjah and Knights of Hispania.

The official press conference was held on Monday at the Dubai Sports Council headquarters, during which Ahmed Salem Al Mahri, Director of Sports Talent Management, Michel Salgado, former Real Madrid and Spain national team star, and Bacary Sagna, former French, Arsenal and Manchester City star and current Dubai Sports Ambassador revealed details of the competition to participating team managers.

Ahmed Salem welcomed the stars speaking at the conference and representatives of sports and media institutions, and said: "

“We extend a warm and hearty welcome to Bacary Sagna, along with our long-time friend Michel Salgado, who continues to work and cooperate with the Dubai Sports Council to develop football in the country through many diverse and pioneering initiatives, including this crucial age-group tournament that contributes significantly to discovering and developing sports talents in the world of football,” Ahmed Salem said.

“This tournament signifies growth as seen by the fact that this is the eighth edition. This event has continued to attract top international teams from varied football schools that compete with our UAE teams while giving our players an opportunity to compete at a higher level, while giving them a glimpse of challenges that lie ahead as professional players. The continued success of this tournament over eight years confirms the amount of work and great dedication that has gone into an event of this statute. The next four days will give these youngsters an opportunity of a lifetime, while also giving them an opportunity to take in the beauty of Dubai at the same time,” Ahmed Salem added.

“While we wish our players and teams success especially against the top teams, we look forward to some exciting matches involving the giants of world football such as Real Madrid, Barcelona, Milan, Chelsea and Celta Vigo, among others,” he stressed.

Bacary Sagna was pleased with the way the tournament has evolved in this particular age category. “All credit to the Dubai Sports Council for supporting sporting events in Dubai and contributing in organizing this important tournament that will go a long way in assisting in the formation of players for the future. Growing up, I have lived through such moments, and I am sure these youngsters will have their own memories of a lifetime,” Sagna observed.

Former Real Madrid star Michel Salgado, who has been in Dubai for more than a decade now was thrilled with the evolution of this competition. “Over a short period, this tournament has come to stay as one of the main age-group competitions in this region. Each year, I have witnessed the growth on a first-hand basis, and this gives me great comfort and joy that the future of our sport is in safe hands. This time we have a legend such as Bacary Sagna among us as the ambassador of this event, and this can only mean that this event has only got better with time. I am confident that we will have some of these players play at the highest level in world football,” Salgado noted.

This year’s 24 participating teams have been divided into six groups of four teams each. Group A includes Chelsea FC, Joga Bonito FA, UAE, Inglizia FC, Jordan and Al Nasr FC, Dubai, while Group 2 consists of Celta Vigo FC, Spain, Al Jazira FC, Abu Dhabi, Driblz FC, France and Fursan Hispania FC ‘B’, UAE.

AC Milan, Italy, ZED FC, Egypt, Iris Sports ISA, Jordan and Al Wahda FC, Abu Dhabi feature in Group 3, while Group 4 consists of FC Bayern Munich, Germany, DOFA PFK CSKA Moscow, Mahd SA, Saudi Arabia and Shabab Al Ahli Dubai FC.

Group 5 includes Real Madrid FC, FC Rodina, Russia, SSD Levante Azzurro, Italy and Al Wasl, Dubai, while Group 6 consists of Fursan Hispania FC ‘A’, UAE, Al Ittihad FC, Saudi Arabia, Sharjah FC and Hatta Club, Dubai.

The competition will get under way at 4 pm today (Tuesday), with Chelsea taking on Inglizia FC, while Joga Bonito FA will play Al Nasr. At 5 pm, Al Jazira will meet Fursan Hispania ‘B’ and Celta Vigo will cross swords with Driblz SC, while ZED will take on Iris Sports ISA and DOFA PFK CSKA will meet Shabab Al Ahli.

At 6 pm, AC Milan will play Al Wahda and FC Rodina will take on Al Wasl, while at 7 pm, Al Ittihad will clash with Sharjah and FC Bayern Munich will play Mahd SA. The last two matches will be played at 8 pm with Fursan Hispania FC meeting Hatta FC, while Real Madrid take on SSD Levante Azzurro.