The countdown to the kick-off of the most anticipated developmental football tournament in South Africa, the Durban u-19 International soccer tournament, has officially begun. The teams to participate in the International tournament were announced.
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The fourth edition of the prestigious Durban u-19 international tournament is set to be staged from July 27 to 5 August 5, where some of the best young talent from around the globe will descend on KwaZulu-Natal with the dream of being crowned champions.
Besides the regulars, the South African u-19 side who were the losing finalists in 2016 and the KwaZulu-Natal Academy, six other teams have been invited from around the world to take part in the 10 day event.
Brazilian club Flamengo, Portuguese giants Benfica, Spanish side Deportivo de La Coruña, Ivorian side ASEC Mimosas, Denmark champions FC Midtjylland and Brazilian side Santos will take part.
The eight sides will be drawn into two pools each containing four clubs, who will play one another on a round-robin basis. The top two sides in each group then advance to the semi finals.
Group A will be staged at the King Zwelithini stadium in Umlazi this year, while Group B will be played at the Sugar Ray Xulu Stadium in Clermont. The magnificent Moses Mabhida Stadium, a venue during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, will host the semi-finals before the decider and third-place play-offs moves to back to King Zwelithini.
Since inception, the event has been organised by Hoy Park Management and sponsored by, mainly, the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Government, the eThekwini Municipality as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup Legacy Trust.
