HARRISON, N.J. (August 19, 2026) – As the 2026-27 MLS NEXT season commences, the Red Bulls Academy U-16s will participate in the 2026 Next Generation Trophy Tournament in Salzburg, Austria at Red Bull Salzburg’s Akademie.
The event will be held from Thursday, August 20 to Saturday, August 22.
“It’s a very exciting opportunity for our players and our staff to be a part of a tournament like the Next Generation Trophy, competing against some of the best clubs from around the world and experiencing different styles, cultures and approaches to the game,” said U-16 Head Coach José Jiménez. “For many of our players, these are experiences they will remember for a long time.
“We’re excited for the challenge, but most importantly, we’re excited for the experience. We feel prepared, we’re looking forward to competing and we’re ready to make the most of this opportunity for both the players and the staff.”
U-16s will begin the tournament with two matches on Thursday. They kick off against Ajax (Netherlands) at 12:05 p.m. CEST. Later in the day, they face off against Academia Alemana de Fútbol Popayán (Colombia) at 5:25 p.m. CEST.
In last year’s edition, the U-16s had a successful run in the tournament, making it to the finals before ultimately falling to Red Bull Bragantino.
“We are excited to once again take our Red Bull New York U-16 Academy to Austria to participate in the Next Gen Tournament, hosted by Red Bull Salzburg,” said Academy Director Sean McCafferty. “Competing against world class academies such as Benfica, Ajax, Red Bull Salzburg, Manchester City and Juventus in order to benchmark our players on an international level is very important when it comes to assessing and accelerating the development of our top prospects.”
Coverage of the matches will be available on FC Red Bull Salzburg’s YouTube channel.
