A Wolves Academy team will feature at the Premier League’s Next Generation Cup, which for the first time will be held in China next month.
The Next Gen Beijing Cup 2026 is the first edition of the tournament to be held in China, and brings together leading Premier League Academy sides, including Wolves, and top youth teams from across Chinese football.
The six-day tournament, featuring eight teams, will be held in Beijing from 3rd and 12th April at the National Olympic Sports Centre, home of the National Football Youth Training Centre.
Organised under the guidance of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and jointly hosted by the Premier League and the Beijing Football Association, the tournament builds on the league’s long-standing commitment to support the development of Chinese football at all levels.
Wolves under-15s will be joined by teams from Aston Villa and Arsenal and compete alongside four Chinese Mainland Academy teams – under-15 teams from the Beijing FA, Shijiazhuang Gongfu under-15s, Shanghai Shenhua FC and Zhejiang FC, as well as the Hong Kong China U16 Elite Selection Team.
The eight teams will be divided into two groups and compete against each other, with group winners advancing to the cup final and group runners-up progressing to the shield final.
The Premier League’s Next Generation Cup is a youth-development tournament designed to provide a high-quality, competitive experience, alongside opportunities for young players to learn both on and off the pitch through cultural exchange and knowledge-sharing.
The competition has been staged internationally in recent years, including in India and South Africa, offering valuable exposure and development opportunities for emerging talent.
Wolves academy director Jon Hunter-Barrett said: “It’s something that we’re excited to participate in. We have quite a lot of excited 14 and 15-year-old boys who are ready to travel to the far east. We have connections with China through our ownership group, so it’s nice for us to represent the club and our academy at the tournament.”
Premier League director of football Neil Saunders said: “Bringing the Next Generation Cup to China for the first time is a significant milestone for the Premier League and underlines our commitment to building genuine, long-term partnerships that support youth football development across the country.
“We are proud to work with the Beijing Football Association to deliver a tournament that gives young Chinese players the chance to test themselves in high-level competition against Premier League Academy sides, while also creating meaningful learning and development opportunities for both the players and coaches.”
