Spain’s premier football league, LaLiga, has initiated a major youth scouting effort in Lagos as part of its global talent identification strategy.
The programme, known as the Next Gen Draft in collaboration with EA SPORTS, commences its 2026 edition in Nigeria, with Lagos serving as the starting point.
This follows successful implementations in other regions, including Japan, and seeks to uncover promising young footballers while promoting essential values of the sport within local communities.
The event is scheduled to take place from January 30 to February 1, 2026, at the Mobolaji Johnson Stadium in Onikan. It will involve 24 teams—split evenly between boys and girls—competing in a high-intensity tournament featuring over 80 matches in a condensed format.
Organized alongside partners such as the Nationwide League One (NLO) and the Lagos State Football Association, the initiative brings together 168 talented under-14 players from various parts of Nigeria, providing them a platform to showcase their skills under the watchful eyes of international evaluators.
Official LaLiga scouts from Spain, joined by representatives from other European and global clubs, will assess participants based on criteria including technical ability, game intelligence, attitude, and overall potential. From this rigorous selection process, four boys and four girls will stand out and earn spots in an exclusive, fully funded 10-day training camp in Spain.
There, they will receive elite-level coaching and exposure to LaLiga’s renowned development methodology alongside top club academies.
This endeavour represents a significant expansion of LaLiga’s international outreach, aiming to bridge opportunities for African talent with the professional European scene.
By investing in grassroots discovery and development, the programme not only nurtures future stars but also strengthens football’s role in community building and youth empowerment across emerging markets.
