Guizhou Builds International Youth Training Ground, "Spark Cup" Fully Upgraded

Written by Han Bing In 2026, Guizhou's international youth football tournaments are set for a major upgrade. The "Zunyi Cup," which concluded in July, covered younger age groups to strengthen the youth football foundation. The second edition of the Guizhou "Spark Cup" International Youth Football Invitational Tournament, also part of the China-ASEAN Education Exchange Week, kicked off in August. As a key supporting sports event of the exchange week, the "Spark Cup" also advanced, with the age group raised from U13 in the first edition to U14. These two major events form the core dual IP of Guizhou's youth football matrix this summer, jointly driving Guizhou's ambition to become a benchmark for youth football summer training and competitions in China.

The first edition of the "Spark Cup" saw U13 teams from Spain, Japan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Kenya compete in China, already establishing some international influence. This year, the overseas lineup has significantly improved in quality: Uzbek youth training powerhouse Pakhtakor Tashkent, Kyrgyzstan's national-level youth team Bishkek Snow Leopard, and South Korea's traditional youth strong team HSFA Hwaseong all participated, while ASEAN countries like Vietnam also sent their youth teams. A host of high-level foreign teams gathered in Guizhou, providing domestic youth teams with genuine, high-intensity practical training.

Last year's "Spark Cup" invited the famous Akhmedov Football School team from Uzbekistan, while this year two top Central Asian youth teams were invited.

Pakhtakor Tashkent was once a league powerhouse in Uzbekistan, winning the league title five times between 2008 and 2013, the cup four times, and reaching the AFC Champions League semifinals twice. The club once hired Brazilian legends Zico and Scolari as coaches, and Rivaldo also played for the team. Although the club's performance has been mediocre in the past five years due to significant cuts in investment from its major shareholder, the Uzbek state-owned oil and gas group, it remains one of the most successful youth development clubs in Uzbekistan.

In 2025, Khusanov, who transferred to Manchester City for €40 million, becoming the most expensive Uzbek player in football history, trained at Pakhtakor's youth academy from the age of 7. At the recently concluded World Cup in the Americas, 6 of Uzbekistan's 26 national team players came from Pakhtakor's youth system, including Khusanov, defenders Ashurmatov, Abdullaev, Urunov, midfielder Shukurov, and winger Khamdamov. In 2023, 4 players from Pakhtakor's youth system were in the Uzbekistan U20 team that won the Asian Cup. In 2025, 2 players from Pakhtakor's youth system were in the Uzbekistan U17 team that won the Asian Cup with six consecutive wins. In the 2026 U17 Asian Cup semifinal, the Uzbekistan U17 team lost to eventual champion Japan on penalties, with 4 players from Pakhtakor's youth system.

In recent years, Pakhtakor has focused on youth development, setting up 10 age-group teams from U10 to U17, U19, and U21. Last year, they finished second in the Uzbek U21 league and third in the U19 league. This year, they are third in the U21 league and first in the U19 league. In the Tashkent Football Association's U12, U14, and U15 leagues, Pakhtakor currently ranks first in all, while in the U16 league, they are second. Additionally, they won the Uzbek U15 Cup at the beginning of the year, reflecting excellent overall performance across their youth teams.

Despite the backdrop of Uzbekistan heavily investing in the National Football Academy and supporting the Akhmedov Football School, which has led to a significant diversion of young talents, Pakhtakor's youth system remains top-notch in the country.

The other Central Asian team, Kyrgyzstan's Bishkek Snow Leopard, was founded in 2018 and is directly managed by the Kyrgyzstan Football Federation. Based on the country's National Football Academy, its original purpose was to have the Kyrgyzstan U17-U19 national youth team participate in the domestic league as a whole unit to gain sufficient match experience. The head coach of the Kyrgyzstan U19 national team also serves as the club's head coach, and players from various clubs' national youth teams are transferred to this club. Snow Leopard currently plays in the Kyrgyzstan top league. After training in the league, young internationals can join other domestic giants or go abroad. In the 2025 U20 Asian Cup qualifiers, 16 of the 24 Kyrgyzstan players came from Snow Leopard Club.

The Snow Leopard Club, located at the Kyrgyzstan National Football Academy, also has youth teams for all age groups from U6 to U15. The younger Snow Leopard teams also participate in national youth leagues at various age levels, functioning as national training teams for the younger age groups and often representing Kyrgyzstan in international youth tournaments abroad. Bishkek Snow Leopard essentially represents the top tier of Kyrgyzstan's youth football strength.

If Pakhtakor is the top youth team in Uzbekistan, then Bishkek Snow Leopard is the quasi-national team of Kyrgyzstan. The participation of these two Central Asian powerhouses in the "Spark Cup" will undoubtedly elevate the level of the tournament.

The two South Korean teams participating in the second "Spark Cup" are both from Hwaseong, a traditional stronghold in South Korean youth football. One is the HSFA Hwaseong U14 team under the Hwaseong City Football Association, and the other is the Hwaseong U15 team, both of which have won multiple national youth football championships in recent years.

In 2018, the Hwaseong City Football Association in Gyeonggi Province led the establishment of the HSFA Hwaseong youth team, centered around Hwaseong High School. Although established not long ago, they quickly achieved impressive results. The HSFA Hwaseong U15 team won four national championships in five years. Early this year, they reached the semifinals of the South Korean Spring Middle School Football Tournament but lost to the Cheonan City Football Center U15 team, missing the final. In July, the U18 team won the Blue Dragon Flag National High School (U18) Championship for the first time in four years, the latest national title for HSFA Hwaseong. HSFA Hwaseong has a relatively complete age-group structure, and the team participating in the "Spark Cup" is the U14 team.

In early 2019, the Hwaseong U15 team won the Korean Middle School Football League President's Cup Junior Football Championship, followed by the "Tamra Flag Cup" National Middle School Football Tournament, becoming a dark horse in South Korean youth football. In 2023, the Hwaseong U15 team won the "Tamra Flag Cup" again and also won the Uljin Geumgangsong Autumn Middle School Football Tournament for the first time. In 2024, they won the Gyeonggi Province Regional League and the Gyeonggi Province Dream Tree Football Tournament. In 2025, the Hwaseong U15 team achieved a four-peat in the regional group of the National Middle School Football League and won the Uljin Geumgangsong National Spring Middle School Football Tournament, demonstrating their strong strength.

The ASEAN teams participating in this "Spark Cup" include the Van Phuc FC youth team from Hanoi, which won the Lotte Challenge Cup (U11 age group) in 2024. This tournament has a long history, with 72 teams from across Vietnam competing. Van Phuc FC won on penalties in the final, securing the club's first national youth championship. This year, Van Phuc FC represented the Hanoi Football Association in three age-group tournaments from U9 to U15. Additionally, they finished third in the Hanoi U11 and U13 tournaments.

The domestic teams participating in this "Spark Cup" include two teams from the host Guizhou Football Association, the Chengdu Football Association team, and the Evergrande Football School team, which won the U13 age group of the National Youth Football Championship. Notably, the HSFA Hwaseong team that participated in this "Spark Cup" also took part in the "462 Cup" First China-South Korea Youth Football Elite Match in Dingnan earlier this year, performing well. At that time, teams from Evergrande Football School, Chengdu Football Association, and Guizhou Football Association faced South Korean teams. Evergrande won the tournament, while the two southwestern teams had a record of 1 win and 3 losses against Korean teams.

In this "Spark Cup," three teams from Chengdu and Guizhou will participate, and their matches against the two Hwaseong Korean teams are highly anticipated. In the first edition last year, the host Guizhou Provincial Football Association U13 team won the championship, but this year, the foreign teams invited are stronger. The two Central Asian teams have the strength of their respective national youth teams, and the two Korean teams are also strong youth powerhouses in their country.

For the participating domestic teams, the tournament will be the best opportunity to train players and accumulate international match experience. Especially for Guizhou's local youth teams, they can face strong opponents from Central Asia, ASEAN, and South Korea, gaining high-quality practical experience. This will not only hone their will and improve their skills but also broaden their international horizons through competition and cultural exchange. It will also allow outsiders to discover talented young players from Guizhou and the Southwest region, achieving a "triple win" of training, exchange, and talent discovery.