On July 26, another edition of the traditional COTIF tournament will begin, which takes place in La Alcudia, Valencia. This championship has gained enormous prestige over the years and will celebrate its 39th edition this year.
Due to the importance of the teams that have played in it and the large number of players who have gone on to become stars of world soccer, the COTIF is considered the most important tournament on the planet in its category (U-20), except for the official FIFA, UEFA and other confederations.
What is the history of the tournament?
The beginning of the COTIF dates to 1983, when the Organizing Committee of the Sub-20 International Football Tournament (C.O.T.I.F.) was born after the youth team of L’Alcudia participated in the International Tournament held in the city of Bollene, France. From then on, the championship gained importance and has been held continuously for more than 30 years.
Such is the importance of the COTIF, that its average attendance is 5000 people in the first phase and 8000 in the final phases, impressive numbers if one takes into account that the population of L’Alcudia is 12500 people. This is also why hundreds of scouts and representatives gather at the competition to scout for the best talent.
¿Which soccer stars have competed in the COTIF tournament?
The young U-20 players who have taken part in the tournament and who have gone on to become great football stars have given the COTIF even more strength, with the likes of Raúl González, Casillas, Cafú, Jordi Alba, Busquets, Shevchenko, Marcelo Salas, Kaká, Rafa Márquez, Dani Alves, Isco, among many others.
On the other hand, there have also been coaches of the stature of Vicente Del Bosque, Luis Aragonés, Héctor Cúper or José Néstor Pékerman, who have guided several young players and in the COTIF were able to bring them to recognition thanks to the good level that they managed to get out of them.
How is the competition system?
The COTIF competition system is made up of 8 teams that are placed in two groups, A and B. They play round-robin matches in each zone of 40 minutes each with a 15-minute break; the top two teams in each group advance to the semifinal round, with the first team from A playing against the second team from B and the first team from B playing against the second team from A.
Each team participating in the tournament has the possibility of registering 22 players in the squad, having the possibility of making a maximum of 11 substitutions (including the goalkeeper), with the condition that in the 2nd half only a maximum of 2 saves can be made per team.
What was the last edition and who was the champion?
The 2022 edition had 8 teams in two groups: Argentina National Team, Valencia CF, Rukh from Ukraine and UD Alzira were in Group A, while Uruguay National Team, Levante, UD Alboraya and Villarreal competed in Group B. In the semifinals, Argentina defeated UD Alzira by 1-0 and Uruguay defeated Valencia by the same score. In the final, the team led by Javier Mascherano won their third COTIF title after defeating the Uruguayans 4-0. In this team, players such as Nico Paz, Valentín Barco, Brian Aguirre and Maestro Puch stood out.
Has SIA Academy participated in the COTIF tournament?
The COTIF not only holds the tournament in the men’s U-20 category, but there is also one in the women’s category and the COTIF Promeses, which is for grassroots soccer and also has great recognition, including the Pre-benjamin, Benjamin and Alevín categories.
In 2022, SIA Academy competed in the COTIF Promeses, on that occasion with two teams: CF Soccer Inter-Action in the Alevín category and Massia Promises (CDB SIA Massanassa team) in the Pre-benjamin, Benjamin and Alevín categories.
Which teams will compete in 2023?
For this year, there will again be 8 teams in the men’s U-20 category competing: the Saudi Arabian National Team, the Mauritanian National Team, Real Murcia, Real Madrid, Valencia CF, UD Alzira, Elche C.F and the Brazilian ADH team. See official calendar.
For the duration of their participation in the tournament, the Arabian National Team will stay at the SIA Academy facilities, where they will have everything at their disposal to prepare for the competition, have training sessions and rest on their days off and be able to have a first-class experience in Spain.
Do you want to know what happened at the COTIF Promises 2022? Click on the following link!
