The Future Star Cup in Shanghai is one of the world’s biggest and most competitive U18 youth tournaments, and this year – the third edition of the event, to be held from 12 – 18 August 2024 – will see VfB Stuttgart’s U17s take part for the first time. “We want to see how our youngsters perform at the highest international level and really challenge them, so the invitation for this top-class tournament from Shanghai came at just the right time,” explained Daniel Teufel, sporting manager of the youth academy.
Facing U18 teams
VfB have been drawn in a group with Dutch club Feyenoord, CR Flamengo from Brazil and South Korean high-flyers Ulsan HD. The other group meanwhile will feature Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Partizan Belgrade and a Shanghai selection. The challenge for the young lads from Cannstatt will be two-fold: not only will they be coming up against some of the world’s biggest clubs, but since there are no U18 teams in the German youth system, VfB will be sending their U17s to Shanghai for what is an U18 tournament, meaning that they will have to face players who are a year older than them. “It will be really interesting for us to see how we stack up against these older teams,” Teufel said.
The tournament will be played at the Shanghai Pudong Football Stadium, home of Chinese first-tier side Shanghai Port, and on the surrounding training pitches. VfB will be spending the entirety of their ten-day trip in a hotel in the centre of what is the third-largest city in the world. As such, there will be plenty of cultural activities planned outside of the tournament, for the players to get an insight into China, its history and its people. “Our academy is not purely about sport, it’s about the players’ personal development,” said Teufel. “We want the lads to be able to discover new cultures and experiences, and look back on a time well spent at the end of their training period with VfB.”