I9 FC is a football club entirely focused on youth development within Brazilian football. Located in the countryside of São Paulo state, the club’s main mission is to develop young athletes for both the Brazilian and international football markets. In Brazil, this model has been gaining traction, with more and more clubs dedicated exclusively to youth categories, without maintaining a professional squad.
The Alcans Cup: A Key Fixture for Top Brazilian Clubs
Within this growing movement, and aiming to further promote youth football in the country, I9 FC created the Alcans Cup, a competition that has now become a key fixture on the calendar of several major Brazilian clubs, including Santos, Botafogo, Cruzeiro, Atlético-MG, and others.
The Alcans Cup features multiple age groups, with competitions ranging from young children to U-20 athletes. For younger age groups, the tournament follows a mini-football format. However, for older players, it uses the standard football format, helping prepare them for the professional level and the tactical demands of the modern game.
Torneo Brings Professional-Level Experience to Youth Football
The main innovation in the 2025 edition of the tournament was the implementation of the Torneo platform, which brought a new level of immersion for fans, athletes, and families alike.
Torneo allows real-time tracking of every match – goals, assists, substitutions, and more – offering detailed updates directly in the hands of football fans. The Alcans Cup adopted the platform for many of its matches, making Sofascore the official source for all game-related information.
Thanks to the partnership with Torneo by Sofascore, the players now have profiles similar to those of professional athletes, enriching the overall experience for everyone involved.
The Benefits of Using Torneo by Sofascore
Beyond simple match reporting, Torneo helps organizers streamline registrations, automate statistics, and centralize tournament management. This makes the platform a powerful ally for clubs and federations looking to modernize their competitions. For athletes, Torneo offers visibility and a digital footprint that mirrors what professional players experience. For fans and families, it means accessibility – being able to follow every goal, card, and stat in real time, no matter where they are.
Growing Reach and Engagement
The club is planning to hold two more competitions before the end of the season: a U-16 tournament in November and a U-20 tournament in December.
With the participation of top-tier clubs and the tournament being available on Sofascore, fans were able to follow how their youth teams were performing, especially in the Alcans Cup. The U-14 final, featuring Santos vs Athletico-PR, saw a remarkable spike in traffic, with over 28,000 people checking the result of a match that took place early in the morning.
Voices from the Organizers
According to Gabriel Martins, manager of I9 FC and organizer of the tournament, the partnership with Torneo was crucial to the competition’s growth:
“For us, the partnership with Torneo and Sofascore was essential – not only for us, but for the clubs as well. It allowed us to bring the players’ families, even from afar, closer to the tournament and to the club their child is a part of. We shared tables, stats, and all the content we could to help integrate parents and the community into the athlete’s journey.”
Gabriel also highlighted the impact of Torneo on the daily operations of the competition:
“The entire registration process and automatic generation of data made our routine so much easier. We can honestly say we can’t live without the platform in our tournaments anymore.”
The success of the Alcans Cup with Torneo by Sofascore shows how youth football can benefit from professional-level tools. By combining digital innovation with grassroots passion, competitions like these create a stronger bridge between young talent and the football community. As more clubs adopt Torneo, the future of youth tournaments in Brazil looks more connected and exciting.