Democracy Youth Cup 2026: Draw held as scouts prepare to watch Ghana's young talents

The group stage draw for the Democracy Youth Cup 2026 was successfully held on Monday at the La McDan AstroTurf Town Park, setting the stage for a youth competition that will bring together some of the most exciting young football talents in the Greater Accra region.

Former Ghana Football Association (GFA) vice president Fred Pappoe moderated the draw ceremony, which was attended by officials and representatives from all participating clubs. Former Sunderland defender Gary Bennett was also present and is expected to scout players throughout the tournament.

The competition will feature 12 teams divided into four groups of three. Group One consists of Attram De Visser Soccer Academy, Kotoku Shining Stars and Desideros. Group Two contains Cheetah FC, Charity Stars and Parin FC. In Group Three are JP FC, Mighty Jets and Great Padua, while Group Four features Kitu Stars, Stari Third World and Zilina FC.

Group stage matches are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday, with the winners from each group advancing to the semi-finals on Thursday. Organisers believe the tournament will provide a major platform for young footballers to showcase their abilities while promoting discipline, leadership and civic responsibility among Ghanaian youth.

Speaking after the draw, Pappoe highlighted the rewards clubs will gain from participating in the invitational tournament.

"It's an interesting exposure, and I know there are quite a number of scouts who have indicated interest in the tournament, so they will be here. As you saw already at the preparatory meeting, there were some scouts from Sunderland FC and a few others who will be coming over the course of the tournament to look at the players and scout them," Pappoe said.

The Democracy Youth Cup forms part of the broader Democracy Cup initiative launched earlier this year by the Parliament of Ghana and spearheaded by the Speaker of Parliament, Rt Honourable Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, as a way of combining football development with civic education and community engagement.

The games will kick off with an opening ceremony on Tuesday.

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