More than 40 clubs, professional academies and representative sides from across the world have already applied to compete in the 2027 Budget Energy SuperCupNI.
The strong early demand follows a record-breaking 2026 tournament, which brought 64 boys’ and girls’ teams from four continents to Northern Ireland for six days of elite youth football.
More than 1,200 players contested over 150 matches across five age groups, with fixtures staged at 17 venues throughout Causeway Coast and Glens, Mid and East Antrim, and Antrim and Newtownabbey.
The international field featured teams from Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, England, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, Mexico, Japan, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Right to Dream lifted the Boys’ Premier title, St Patrick’s Athletic won the Boys’ Junior competition and Linfield secured the inaugural Boys’ Minor crown.
Manchester United completed a memorable double by winning both the Girls’ Premier and Girls’ Junior competitions.
More than 60,000 visitors from across Northern Ireland, Great Britain, the Republic of Ireland and further afield attended the tournament throughout the week.
Every match was streamed live worldwide through 247.tv, while the Boys’ Premier Final was broadcast by BBC Sport NI.
The tournament opened with the traditional welcome parade and opening ceremony at the Coleraine Showgrounds, attended by more than 2,650 players, coaches, officials and supporters.
Applications are now being accepted for the 2027 tournament, which will begin with the welcome parade and opening ceremony on Sunday 25 July.
Sam Gamble, Tournament Coordinator at the Budget Energy SuperCupNI, said: “The response to the 2027 application process has been extremely strong, with more than 40 applications already received from leading academies, representative sides and clubs across the world.
“I have been speaking directly with many of the clubs interested in joining us next summer, and the calibre and international spread of those conversations demonstrate the standing the tournament has within the global game.
“Following the success of 2026, our focus is on assembling another high-quality and competitive field across all five age groups. We will consider every application carefully as we look to bring together leading international academies, representative teams and the best emerging talent from Northern Ireland.
“There is still time to apply, and I would encourage any club interested in competing in 2027 to submit its application as early as possible.”
The boys’ tournament will once again feature a Minor section for players born on or after 1 January 2014, a Junior section for players born on or after 1 January 2013 and a Premier section for players born on or after 1 January 2011.
The deadline for boys’ applications is 5pm on Monday 2 November 2026, with teams expected to be informed of the outcome by Tuesday 22 December 2026.
The girls’ tournament will include a Junior section for players born on or after 1 January 2013 and a Premier section for players born on or after 1 January 2011. The deadline for girls’ applications is Tuesday 1 December 2026.
Clubs can submit an application and download the 2027 boys’ and girls’ tournament brochures by visiting www.supercupni.com.
For boys’ tournament enquiries, email Tournament Coordinator Sam Gamble at samgamble@supercupni.com. For girls’ tournament enquiries, email alfiewylie@supercupni.com.
The Budget Energy SuperCupNI is proudly supported by headline partner Budget Energy, alongside a valued network of partners including Tourism NI, Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council, Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council, Sterling Insurance, Creagh Concrete, Uhlsport, KLIR, IDS Accountants, Tesco, The Premier League, TrustFord, 247.TVand BuyTicketApp.
