The Premier League today announced the Next Gen Beijing Cup – its first edition to be held in China – which brings together leading Premier League Academy sides and top youth teams from across Chinese football for a tournament from 3-12 April 2026 at the National Olympic Sports Centre, home of the National Football Youth Training Centre.
Jointly hosted by the Premier League and the Beijing Football Association, the tournament builds on the League’s long-standing commitment to support the development of Chinese football at all levels.
The competition will feature eight teams including the under-15 sides of three Premier League clubs: Arsenal, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton Wanderers. They will compete alongside four Chinese Mainland Academy teams – Beijing FA’s U15 selection team, Shijiazhuang Gongfu FC (U15), Shanghai Shenhua FC (U15) and Zhejiang FC (U15) – as well as the Hong Kong China U16 Elite Selection Team. The eight teams will be divided into two groups and compete against each other, with group winners advancing to the Cup Final and group runners-up progressing to the Shield Final.
The Premier League’s Next Gen Cup is a youth-development tournament designed to provide a high-quality, competitive experience, alongside opportunities for young players to learn both on and off the pitch through cultural exchange and knowledge-sharing. The competition has been staged internationally in recent years in India, offering valuable exposure and development opportunities for emerging talent.
Alongside the tournament, the Premier League will deliver Next Gen Coach – a four-day grassroots coach‑development programme for 40 coaches from across the region. The programme will be delivered with support from Premier League staff and grassroots coaches from Burnley and Chelsea. Additional activities include a Coach Development Masterclass series featuring workshops led by experts from the Premier League and club academies. The programme will culminate in a Football Festival, inviting 64 young players aged 10–12 to participate in a showcase event at the Xiao Hua Maoer Football Training Center, operated by Beijing ONE Great Sport Culture Co., Ltd.
Premier League Director of Football Neil Saunders said: “Bringing the Next Gen Cup to China for the first time is a significant milestone for the Premier League and underlines our commitment to building genuine, long-term partnerships that support youth football development across the country.
“We are proud to work with the Beijing Football Association to deliver a tournament that gives young Chinese players the chance to test themselves in high-level competition against Premier League Academy sides, while also creating meaningful learning and development opportunities for both the players and coaches.
“We are also pleased to be delivering Next Gen Coach, which will enable local grassroots coaches to learn from Premier League club coaches and take this knowledge back into their own football environments.
“We look forward to continuing to collaborate with stakeholders across China and supporting the next generation of talent.”
As the co-organizer of the tournament, Liu Jun, President of the Beijing Football Association, welcomed the Premier League and outstanding youth teams to Beijing for the inaugural Next Gen Cup in China. He said: “Beijing is continuing to build a distinctive, full-cycle youth training system along with a systematic competition mechanism. This tournament is a valuable, high-level opportunity for match practice, helping our young players grow quickly through high-quality competition.
“The accompanying coach development programme closely aligns with our priorities to raise grassroots coaching standards. We look forward to making this event a meaningful bridge for international exchange and contributing to the high-quality development of youth football in Beijing and across China.”
Following the opening of its Beijing office in October 2024 and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese Football Association, the Premier League continues to work closely with Chinese football authorities, clubs and the wider football community to support the development of elite and youth players, coaches and match officials, alongside training programmes for grassroots coaches and referees.