2025 youth recap: our Young Bulls' year of successes | OneFootball

Academy double, World Cup heroics and international adventures

 Of course, Austria's success at the U17 World Cup, in which nine of our Young Bulls played a part, was the headline achievement of 2025 at youth level. Numerous other highlights accompanied our youngsters' development this year while we look forward to see playing at the Red Bull Arena in a few years. Let's take a look back at the best moments.

2025 began with a real statement! In February, the U16 Academy team prevailed at the inaugural Bull’s Cup, taking first place in the ten-team field in Brazil and defeating FC Santos in the final.

Championships are usually celebrated in May, but March was also wonderful: as our U20 girls capped off their remarkable season in the Women's Future League, Austria's top youth league, with the championship title. Captain Valentina Akrap, who has since played for our Bundesliga team, kicked off the celebrations with her decisive goal against LASK. The good times are continuing, and it's no coincidence that Hiermann's team is also sitting comfortably at the top of the table in the current campaign.

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Another highlight: Our Young Bulls' European journey in 2024/25 took them all the way to the Final Four in Nyon. In a dramatic semi-final, our previously undefeated U19 team was ultimately defeated 1-2 by Trabzonspor in Europe's most important youth competition, the UEFA Youth League.

Academy double

Motivated by their success in the team competition at the Wings Cup hosted by RB Leipzig, the U16 academy players, as well as the U15 hopefuls, won titles in the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) Youth League – with both teams boasting the best attack and the most solid defence. The chances of the Red Bull Football Academy achieving a hat trick of U18, U16 and U15 championships next year, for the sixth time (!), are quite good: Only the youngest side are just one point behind leaders FK Austria Vienna, while the teams coached by Tobias Kern and Danny Galm are sitting pretty at the top of the table.

Speaking of Tobias Kern:  when it comes to international tournaments, we can't forget the Next Generation Trophy, which has long since established itself as a career booster for players like Phil Foden and Konrad Laimer. Kern's charges once again put in a remarkable display of talent, advancing to the quarter-finals of this prestigious U16 competition as group winners. The run ended only against Red Bull Bragantino, the eventual champions.

2025 was rounded off with further milestones: first, our U15 youngsters claimed the Porsche Fußball Cup in Stuttgart, becoming the first club ever to do so for the second time. Then, our boys proved unbeatable at the AKA Futsal Convention. The 5-1 victory in the final against Austria Vienna in early December was a fitting end to a successful year for our young Bulls.

Photo: Porsche Fußball Cup, 2025, Porsche AG