LaLiga and EA Sports have launched the second edition of Next Gen Draft, an international programme that combines competition, training and transformative experiences to identify and develop young football talent around the world while promoting community engagement through the core values of the sport.
The project, which aims to reach around 900 children globally, will kick off in Nigeria on January 30, 2026, before moving to Mexico, Japan, Morocco and China, with a final phase taking place in Spain during June and July. The 2026 edition reinforces both organizations’ commitment to creating real opportunities for the next generation, expanding its global reach and consolidating its position as one of the most significant initiatives within EA Sports FC Futures.
In this second edition, Next Gen Draft is structured around a comprehensive developmental journey that integrates professional methodology, sporting assessment and an educational approach focused on values. The programme consists of four phases aimed at evaluating and strengthening both the footballing skills and personal values of participants.
The FC Rush Tournament, inspired by the EA Sports FC video game, sees registered players compete in five versus five matches, each played over two seven minute halves. With over 80 matches in a single day, official LaLiga scouts traveling from Spain will evaluate technical ability, vision, attitude and overall performance to select 50 players, comprising 25 girls and 25 boys.
The 50 selected players then progress to FC Futures Academy Training, where they receive personalized instruction inspired by FC Futures best practices, delivered by Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) PRO coaches from LaLiga using the organization’s official methodology. The top 32 players, split equally between 16 girls and 16 boys, will advance to the next stage.
At the Final Match stage, young talents play a full 11 versus 11 match against a local team. After the game, the four best performing girls and four boys are selected to represent their country in a unique LaLiga experience in Spain. Selection is based not only on sporting performance but also on psycho emotional factors, with values such as commitment, teamwork and perseverance playing a key role.
In the final phase of the programme, the finalists travel to Spain with all expenses covered to join an international group of 40 young talents, eight from each stage. During this experience, the players receive professional training sessions from UEFA PRO coaches from LaLiga, play friendly matches against youth teams from LaLiga EA Sports clubs, and enjoy exclusive visits and activities that immerse them in the environment of elite European football.
Jorge de la Vega, LaLiga’s Executive Director, stated that the organization is very excited about this project. It’s a programme that allows us to reach thousands of children, train them and continue helping them to enjoy football. Through this initiative and the partnership with EA Sports FC Futures, we are demonstrating once again that LaLiga goes beyond the clubs and competitions and reaches the communities where football is a powerful force for good, he said.
EA Sports FC Futures is EA Sports’ long term global initiative to invest in community football. In addition to supporting more than 15 partner programmes and donating equipment in over 10 countries, the project also offers a free online library of training drills for coaches to use in their daily sessions. These exercises combine visual elements from the game with expert coaching guidance, blending the physical and digital sides of the sport to create innovative learning experiences.
The first edition of Next Gen Draft visited five cities in 2025, including Rustenberg in South Africa, New York in the United States, Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Guatemala City in Guatemala, and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Each stop saw approximately 300 children compete to advance through the various project phases, with only eight finalists, four boys and four girls, from each location traveling to Spain.
LaLiga is the largest football ecosystem in the world. It is a private sports association composed of the 20 public limited sports companies and clubs of LaLiga EA Sports and the 22 of LaLiga Hypermotion and is responsible for organizing professional football competitions in Spain. LaLiga has over 258 million followers globally across social networks, on 16 platforms and in 20 different languages.
With its headquarters in Madrid, Spain, LaLiga has the most extensive international network of any sports property and is present in 35 countries through eight offices. The organization carries out its social work through its foundation Fundación LaLiga and was the world’s first professional football league to establish a league for intellectually challenged footballers, known as LaLiga Genuine.
The Nigeria leg scheduled for January 30 represents the first stop in the 2026 edition, marking a significant expansion of the programme into West Africa. Young Nigerian footballers will have the opportunity to showcase their talents before official LaLiga scouts and potentially earn a life changing trip to Spain to train with youth teams from some of Europe’s most prestigious football clubs.
The initiative reflects a growing trend among major European football leagues to invest in grassroots development programmes across Africa, Asia and the Americas, recognizing the continents as vital sources of emerging talent while also expanding their global brand presence and community engagement efforts.
