MLS NEXT today announced the groups for the 2026 Generation adidas Cup, a premier international youth tournament taking place from March 27 to April 4 at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida. Both the Austin FC U16 and U15 Academy teams will take part.
Austin FC U16 is in Group I and will face Busan IPark from South Korea, as well as fellow MLS academies St. Louis City SC and Toronto FC.
Austin FC U15 is in Group C and will Saudi Arabian side Al Fateh SC and fellow MLS academies New England Revolution and Vancouver Whitecaps FC.
Competition Structure
Forty teams, organized into 10 groups of four, will compete in each of the two age groups. Group draws were random, utilizing buckets categorized by division for MLS academies, while international clubs will be drawn randomly. Sixteen teams will advance to the single-elimination championship bracket – comprising the 10 group winners and the top six second-place finishers. The next-best 16 teams will enter a consolation bracket, with the final eight teams competing in consolation groups to provide additional competitive matches.
All teams competing in the 2026 Generation adidas Cup are guaranteed to play seven 60-minute matches, comprised of two 30-minute halves. The championship matches in both age groups will be extended to 70-minute matches. All contests that are tied at the end of regulation will go directly to a penalty-kick shootout.
After the conclusion of the tournament, awards will be presented in both age groups, recognizing the Most Valuable Player presented by adidas, Top Scorer, and Generation adidas Cup Best Goalkeeper presented by Allstate. The Best XI presented by adidas will highlight the top-performing players from each position at the competition.
