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Dreamland–Abia State U19 Cup
The youth football talent-hunt championship owned by Dreamland Football Academy — running since 2013, and today sponsored by the Government of Abia State and endorsed by the Embassy of Hungary in Abuja.
From a local tournament in Ukwa West to an international talent hunt.
The championship started as the Dreamland Cup when the 1st edition was held at Umuebulungwu, Ukwa West LGA, Abia State in 2013 — a local youth tournament for the U13, U15, U17 and U20 categories, with 53 clubs and academies from across Nigeria in attendance. The same venue hosted the 2nd edition in 2015.
It became an international talent-hunt project at the 3rd edition in 2016, at the newly constructed West Itam Ultra-Modern Sports Complex, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, in conjunction with the Akwa Ibom State Football Association, when an international scout from Slovenia attended for the U19 category. The 4th edition was held in March 2018 at the Rojenny Tourist Games Village, Oba, Anambra State, attended by a scouting delegation from Hungary led by FIFA Match Agent Trust Gelei Es Tarsa Kft, Budapest, among other clubs.
Following the partnership between Dreamland Football Academy and the Embassy of Hungary in Abuja, the project was rebranded as the Dreamland–Embassy of Hungary Cup from the 5th to the 9th editions, held at the Moshood Abiola National Stadium, Abuja, and attended by the Ambassadors of the Embassy during that period.
The high-quality international championship attracted the interest of the Government of Abia State, who joined for the 10th edition — the Dreamland–Abia State–Embassy of Hungary Cup, held at Enyimba Stadium, Aba, in 2024. It was attended by the Hungarian Ambassador to Nigeria, His Excellency Mr Lorand Endreffy, and the Executive Governor of Abia State, His Excellency Dr Alex Otti OFR. Today the Abia State Government is the official sponsor of the Dreamland–Abia State U19 Cup.
The 10th edition at Enyimba Stadium (2024); the 6th and 8th editions in Abuja.
Open to scouts from all parts of the world.
The project is now rebranded as the Dreamland–Abia State U19 Cup, which allows scouts from all parts of the world to attend the talent hunt. The 1st and 2nd editions, endorsed by the Embassy of Hungary in Abuja, were held at Enyimba Stadium, Aba, in 2025 and 2026 respectively, under the sponsorship of the Government of Abia State.
They were attended by representatives of clubs and agencies from Portugal, Hungary, Germany and the USA. We are open to work with football institutions interested in African players. The Abia State Government and the Embassy of Hungary in Abuja remain our key project partners.
To offer a well-organised competition where exceptionally talented young stars are identified by foreign scouts and exposed for further development and professionalism — creating jobs for talented youths in Nigeria through sport.
Twenty-two matches, built around the scouts.
The competition is designed so that assessment — not just elimination — drives the schedule.
- Group stageEach team plays three matches in the group stage.
- QualificationThe best team in each of Groups A, B and C, plus the overall best loser, qualify for the semi-finals.
- Semi-finals & finalWinners of the semi-finals play in the final. There is no third-place match.
- All Star matchAn "All Star Teams" A vs B, selected by the scouts during the preliminary and knock-out stages, is played before the final for the scouts' final assessment.
- TotalTwenty-two matches are played in the recruitment championship.
Prize money & awards
We place less emphasis on prize money, as it is not in line with the objective of this tournament. However, we reward the winners with prize money, a gold-plated trophy and medals. There are individual awards for the MVP, Top Scorer, Best Goalkeeper and Best Coach of the championship. Prize money and individual awards have improved with each edition.
Welfare & medical
Participating teams are responsible for their own accommodation, feeding and other logistics throughout the championship. We provide a central medical team to attend to all participating teams in the competition.
Eligibility & registration
Only players who are nineteen years and below are eligible to participate. A participating team's delegation is a maximum of twenty-three persons — 18 players and 5 officials. A non-refundable entry fee, as announced by the organiser, is required.
2nd Dreamland–Abia State U19 Cup
6–10 July 2026 · Enyimba Stadium, Aba, Abia State
Forster Football Academy, champions
Forster Football Academy of Abia State took the title, with Traveling FC of Anambra State finishing as runners-up. Dreamland Football Academy finished in 3rd position.
Past winners.
Twelve editions, six venues, since 2013.
Dreamland–Abia State U19 Cup
| Edition | Date | Venue | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dec 2nd – 6th, 2025 | Enyimba StadiumAba, Abia State | New Generation FAAbia State | Dreamland AcademyAbia State |
| 2nd | July 6th – 10th, 2026 | Enyimba StadiumAba, Abia State | Forster AcademyAbia State | Traveling FCAnambra State |
| 3rd | Nov 2nd – 6th, 2027 | Enyimba Stadium, Aba, Abia State | Entries open — see invitation below | |
Dreamland–Embassy of Hungary Cup
| Edition | Date | Venue | Winners | Runners-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Aug 8th – 16th, 2013 | Ascension Junior SeminaryAbia State | New Generation FAAbia State | David Moore FCEnugu State |
| 2nd | Aug 8th – 17th, 2014 | Ukwa West StadiumAbia State | New Generation FAAbia State | Dreamland AcademyAbia State |
| 3rd | Nov 14th – 19th, 2016 | Itam West StadiumAkwa Ibom State | Greater TomorrowAkwa Ibom State | Ituen AcademyAkwa Ibom State |
| 4th | Mar 10th – 15th, 2018 | Rojenny StadiumAnambra State | Tom Kings AcademyAbia State | Fragrance AcademyAbia State |
| 5th | Nov 6th – 10th, 2018 | MKO Abiola National StadiumAbuja | Galadima AcademyAbuja FCT | Right2win AcademyAbia State |
| 6th | May 7th – 12th, 2019 | MKO Abiola National StadiumAbuja | Dreamland AcademyOursAbia State | IB Sporting DreamsAbuja FCT |
| 7th | Nov 12th – 17th, 2019 | MKO Abiola National StadiumAbuja | Galadima AcademyAbuja FCT | Hooke Sports FAAbuja FCT |
| 8th | Dec 1st – 5th, 2021 | Turf Arena Sports ComplexAbuja | Dreamland AcademyOursAbia State | Jazzy Stars AcademyPlateau State |
| 9th | Nov 14th – 20th, 2022 | MKO Abiola National StadiumAbuja | Abray Sports FCKwara State | Dreamland AcademyAbia State |
| 10th | 2024 | Enyimba StadiumAba, Abia State | Phantom FCEnugu State | Enyimba FC U19Abia State |
1st Dreamland–Abia State U19 Cup
2–6 December 2025 · Enyimba Stadium, Aba, Abia State
New Generation FA, Abia State, celebrate the inaugural title.
Teams and officials at Enyimba Stadium, December 2025.
The inaugural trophy is presented to the captain.
Join the talent hunt.
We hereby extend an open invitation to sponsors, investors, international football clubs, agents and scouts to join us on this youth football talent-hunt championship, for mutual benefit. The 3rd edition is scheduled for 2–6 November 2027 at Enyimba Stadium, Aba.
Register your interest