"It is a really big cup, it is like the new World Cup." That's a 10-year-old from Jacksonville, Florida — and honestly, the numbers back him up.
The Foyle Cup kicks off its 34th edition in Londonderry this week with a record 1,013 teams, nearly 4,000 matches spread across 60+ venues, and an expected crowd of 200,000 over six days. Youth tournaments don't get bigger than this.
Florida to Foyle: the tournament's growing global pull
Gavin Carlin played in the Foyle Cup as a kid with Lifford & District and Crumlin United. He's back in 2025 — this time leading his Good Lad Soccer programme from Florida, bringing 70 players and a travel party of over 200 people. Last year's group was 140 strong. The thing is growing fast.
Three of those players — Eden, Samantha, and Gabriella, all from Jacksonville — summed up why the tournament punches above its weight. Eden's already calling her shot: "We are going to bring home the gold." Samantha just wants a good experience. Conor, another Floridian, landed on the World Cup comparison without even blinking.
Carlin's point is the more interesting one, though. He argues the Foyle Cup gives young players something football academies can't manufacture — genuine exposure to different cultures, playing styles, and environments, wrapped around a family trip that people remember for decades. The opening parade through Londonderry, with big crowds cheering on players and coaches, has been a fixture of the tournament for thirty years. That tradition doesn't show up in any league table.
The players it helped produce
Coleraine FC defender Ben Doherty — a former Derry City man — played in the Foyle Cup himself and offered the starkest reminder of what the competition can lead to. He pointed to Paddy McCourt, James McClean, and Darron Gibson as former participants who went on to professional careers. McClean, in particular, built a decade-long career in the Championship and Premier League. The Foyle Cup didn't make them, but it was part of the pipeline.
Doherty's message to this year's players was simple: "Play with a smile on your face."
With 1,013 teams and 200,000 people expected through the gates, there's plenty to smile about.
