All Stars Cup 2017 is around the corner. Elite football teams from the U16 category (players born in 2001) will once again appear in Prague during the third weekend in June (16 – 18 June) to play for the silver-eared cup similar to the Champions League trophy.

The parallel with Europe’s most prestigious club competition is somewhat exaggerated, but there is no doubt that the All Stars Cup is already an established brand of one of the best and most respected junior tournaments on the Old Continent. The teams that will be playing this year confirm this.

For the first time ever, three teams will be playing at the tournament that are amongst the finest and wealthiest football companies – Arsenal FC, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain. It is certainly interesting, and in many ways meaningful, that all three of the formerly “unattainable” clubs accepted our offer to play in the tournament this year. Along with them will arrive proven companies that are always a synonym for football quality – FC Porto, Atlético Madrid, FC Midtjylland and Altinordu Izmir. We are very happy that we will once again be able to welcome participants from outside of Europe. Chivas Guadalajara will be playing in the tournament for the fourth time, while Avispa Fukuoka will be making its debut.

Domestic clubs make up the less famous, but all the more watched half of the starting field. The only newcomer in this group is FC Vysočina Jihlava. Worth mentioning is that Sparta Praha will be returning to the All Stars Cup after a six-year absence.

It is true in all fields of human activities - and all the more so in football - that you have to pay for quality. We therefore welcomed interest from the Football Association of the Czech Republic (FACR) in intensifying mutual cooperation and providing essential support for the entire project. We like the insight of the FACR, which considers the tournament not only as an exceptional international confrontation in our country, but that it also perceives the tournament as an important indicator and gauge for selecting the best domestic players for the junior national teams. If we are able to bring the promise of mutual long-term cooperation to life, the All Stars Cup will gain one of its strongest possible partners.

As in past years, this year’s tournament will be counting on the organizing cooperation of SK Slavia Praha and Bohemians Praha 1905. The All Stars Cup will be played at the Slavia grounds on Vladivostocká Street, and the final two matches (for third place and the final) will be played at the Bohemians stadium at Ďolíček.

One final piece of good news: for the first time in the nine-year history of the tournament, both of the final matches (on Sunday 18 June from 19:00 and 20:00) will be broadcast live on 02 TV Sport!