On Wednesday 12 June, the U-16 INTERNATIONAL DREAM CUP 2019 JAPAN will kick-off at Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Miyagi. This year, a total of four teams, Romania, Nigeria, Japan, and Mexico, will compete for the title. Here we will introduce the U-16 Romania National Team and the U-16 Nigeria National Team along with their coaches’ comments.

U-16 Romania National Team

FIFA Ranking: 25th
Appearances in major tournaments:
FIFA World Cup - 7
FIFA U-20 World Cup - 1
FIFA U-17 World Cup - none

Romania is located on the Balkan Peninsula in South-eastern Europe. The name of Romania derives from the Latin “Romanus,” meaning “Citizen of Rome,” and their language is the only Latin language spoken in Eastern Europe. The country has a rich history of producing highly skilled football players. In 1994, the team was led by Gheorghe HAGI to advance through to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup. Their U-16 National Team is eyeing to make their appearance in next year’s UEFA European Under-17 Championship, where they will compete in the qualifiers held this October, with Russia, Switzerland, and San Marino.

Comment from Coach Adrian VASAI of U-16 Romania National Team
It is very important for us to compete with teams outside of Europe. From this tournament, I hope to give our players the confidence to move forward in our future competitions. We are grateful to be given this opportunity to participate in such special tournament and we are looking forward to be playing in this tournament.

U-16 Nigeria National Team

FIFA Ranking: 42nd
Appearances in major tournaments:
FIFA World Cup - 6
FIFA U-20 World Cup - 12
FIFA U-17 World Cup - 11

Alongside the Gulf of Guinea, located in the western side of Africa, many of the African powerhouses, such as Cameroon and Ghana, are neighbouring in the area. Nigeria is one of them, as they are second only to Cameroon with the most appearance at the FIFA World Cup by an African country. Nigeria leads the way with the most titles won at the FIFA U-17 World Cup, as they have won five championships, while finishing as the runners-up three times. Their second title came in 1993 where the tournament (at the time known as the FIFA Under-17 World Championship) was hosted by Japan. The talented Nigerian youth players will thrive in Japan, where their predecessors have achieved greatness that has led to the development of their country’s football.

Comment from Coach Haruna USMAN of U-16 Nigeria National Team
Over the years, Japan and Nigeria have built a very friendly relationship, and for us, playing in Japan is like playing at home. Our success at the 1993 FIFA Under-17 World Championship held in Japan, gave us a turning point for the youth development of our country. We are looking forward for this tournament and hope to utilise this opportunity to achieve greatness at the 2022 World Cup.

*FIFA Ranking: a ranking with points being awarded based on the results of all FIFA-recognised full international matches. (Numbers are based on the rankings announced on 4 April 2019)
*FIFA World Cup appearance: up to the 2018 Russia tournament.

U-16 INTERNATIONAL DREAM CUP 2019 JAPAN presented by Asahi Shimbun

Tournament Dates: Wed. 12 - Sun. 16 June 2019
Tournament Venue: Yurtec Stadium Sendai, Miyagi

Tournament Information