La Liga has officially launched its global talent search program titled "EA Sports FC Futures - Searching for and Developing Global Football Talents." This initiative aims to identify young football talents and provide them with scholarships to train at the La Liga Football Training Center in Spain.
The program is set to select 1,000 young players from five nations: South Africa, the United States, Guatemala, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Vietnam. From this pool, 40 outstanding young athletes will receive scholarships to train in Spain. The targeted age group for this program is U16, granting players the unique chance to experience advanced coaching methods utilized by La Liga and EA Sports during their training session in Madrid, scheduled for June 2025.
The "EA Sports FC Futures" tournament will take place across various cities, beginning with Rustenburg, South Africa, on March 1 and 2. Following this, events will be held in New York on March 8 and 9, followed by Dubai on March 27 and 28, Guatemala City on April 5 and 6, and finally, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on April 11 and 13, 2025.
The Vietnam segment, dubbed the U16 Next Gen Draft, is slated to occur at Gia Định Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City. The event will be organized by La Liga Vietnam, with the participation of experts from La Liga Spain.
During the tournament, over 200 male and female players will be selected and divided across 16 male teams and 16 female teams, with each team consisting of five players and two substitutes. The teams will compete round-robin style to determine the winning teams.
A panel of experts from La Liga will then select the top 32 players, comprising 16 males and 16 females, to advance to the finals. From this, four male and four female players will be chosen to receive scholarships to undergo training at the prestigious La Liga institute in Madrid, Spain.
Jorge de la Vega, Executive Director of La Liga, emphasized the importance of this initiative, noting, "This is an opportunity for La Liga to reach thousands of children, train them, and continue helping them enjoy their passion for football. EA Sports FC Futures is particularly significant for us, as it contributes to building the foundation for future football starting today."
James Salmon, Senior Director responsible for activating the EA Sports FC franchise, also shared his thoughts, stating, "We are honored to collaborate on some fantastic community projects with La Liga and FC Futures over the past few years, from upgrading football pitches to scholarship programs, all aimed at creating positive impact and developing the sport. Looking forward, we are excited to help discover community football talents and support the growth of the next generation of football stars."
Overall, this program not only supports individual players but also works to strengthen the future of football across multiple nations, offering exposure and opportunities for talented youths to thrive on international platforms.