The Youth League is held every season in a format similar to the Champions League.
Group Stage: 8 groups of 4 teams each.
The top 2 teams from each group advance to the Round of 16 (1/8 finals).
The tournament then continues through the Quarter-finals (1/4), Semi-finals (1/2), and finally the Final.
Matches are played as 7-a-side football.
If a team does not have all 7 players, temporary players are automatically assigned to cover missing positions for that match.
There are no substitutions and no advanced tactical settings.
The match engine is designed to be simpler than the senior competitions.
To enter the Youth League, clubs must place a participation bid during the season before.
The 32 highest bids secure a place in the following season’s Youth League.
Matches are valuable for young players, as they gain a small amount of experience for each game played.
The Youth League match engine is streamlined, taking into account:
Each team’s average quality.
Youth Center level.
Whether the team has all 7 players available.
Whether the team has at least one player per role (Goalkeeper, Defender, Midfielder, Attacker).
Home, away, or neutral ground advantage.
Group Stage: Days 2–12
Round of 16 (1/8): Day 14
Quarter-finals (1/4): Day 16
Semi-finals (1/2): Day 18
Final: Day 20
Prizes are financed from the participation fees.
Teams earn a victory bonus for each match won or drawn.
Advancing from the group stage also awards a prize.
Winning each knockout round grants an additional prize.