Al Jazira and Baniyas will join host Al Ain and 13 overseas teams in the U12 LaLiga Promises International Football Tournament, to be held at the Hazza bin Zayed stadium from December 27-29.
The tournament consists of 16 teams. They are: Al Ain, Al Jazira and Baniyas (UAE), FC Barcelona, Atletico de Madrid, RCD Espanyol, Real Madrid, Real Betis, Sevilla FC, Valencia CF, Villarreal CF (Spain), Juventus, Inter Milan (Italy), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Paris Saint-Germain (France), and Benfica (Portugal).
Al Jazira and Baniyas qualified for the main competition ahead of Al Wahda and Al Dhafra from a quadrangular.
It is the 24th edition of the tournament and the first time that the tournament is held in the Middle East. All matches will be played in the seven-a-side format on a 60X40m field at the main stadium.
FC Barcelona and Juventus will kick off the competition in a 5pm in Group A that also include Real Betis and Al Ain.
Teams in Group B are Atletico de Madrid, Sevilla FC, Inter Milan and Baniyas; Group C: RCD Espanyol, Valencia CF, Borussia Dortmund and Benfica; Group D: Real Madrid, Villarreal CF, Paris Saint-Germain and Al Jazira.
Maite Ventura, Managing Director for LaLiga MENA said: “The 24th LaLiga Promises International Football Tournament is one of the most important projects we do in LaLiga to promote the growth of football and one of the most prestigious events LaLiga has ever organized”.
Talal Al Hashemi, Executive Director of the Sports Development at Abu Dhabi Sports Council, said that the tournament provides youngsters an early introduction to play against renowned international football academies.
“The players and technical staff from Al Ain, Al Jazira and Baniyas are sure to benefit from the experience, and also from the technical and administrative levels of the visiting academies,” he added.
Al Hashemi thanked LaLiga, the management of Hazza bin Zayed Stadium and all the participating clubs for their cooperation to make this event a success.
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