Empire FC, one of the UAE’s top football academies, will aim to showcase their talents on the world stage when heading to the UK to take part in the Norwich City Mina Cup UK.
The tournament, which is the Middle East’s leading youth football tournament, is expanding globally with its latest edition coming to the UK.
Set to take place at the Norwich City Avant Training Center on the 12th and 13th of October 2024, the Norwich City Mina Cup UK will feature U12 academies from some of the world’s most renowned football clubs.
This tournament marks a significant milestone for the Mina Cup, which has rapidly grown from its origins in Dubai into a global platform for youth football talent. The expansion to the UK, through a five-year partnership with Norwich City, underscores the tournament’s ambition to build a world-class football competition that spans continents.
The winning team will secure a coveted spot in the Mina Cup main edition, which will be held in Dubai from the 9th to the 14th of April 2025.
Empire FC’s participation in the tournament is a testament to the increasing quality of football in the UAE and the growing international footprint of the Mina Cup.
In addition to the UAE representative, the Norwich City Mina Cup UK will host powerhouse teams such as Feyenoord from the Netherlands, Benfica from Portugal, Inter Milan from Italy, Borussia Dortmund from Germany, and prominent British clubs including Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Leeds and Norwich City itself.
The tournament will also feature Chennayin FC from India, FC Kuala Lumpur from Malaysia, Toca FC and Elite XI from Canada, and the Bermuda national U12 team.
Founder of the Mina Cup Chris Brown said “I am delighted that we will shortly take our first step in exporting the Mina Cup a youth tournament born in Dubai into the UK working with Norwich City to attract the calibre of clubs we have done from across the world at their state-of-the-art 1st team training facility. Our team are excited about the long term strategy of taking the competition across all continents with all roads leading back to Dubai and the UAE, helping support the already booming tourism industry proving children from all over the world with an incredible experience of the Emirates.”
