Youth Cup Rules

Eligibility of players

The Youth Cup is an under-21 competition. Players are eligible if they are 21 or younger at the start of the season; players who turn 22 on or after the published cut-off date remain eligible.

Season 28 cut-off date: 23 June 2026.

Loans

No loans are allowed. This follows the manager vote which removed Youth Cup loans.

Playing ineligible players

Managers are responsible for checking opponents' teams and reporting ineligible players to the organiser as soon as possible, and no later than 10pm on the following Monday.

Playing an over-age or otherwise ineligible player means an automatic 0–3 forfeit, recorded as a 3–0 win for the opponent.

If both teams field ineligible players, the match is recorded as a 0–0 draw with no points awarded to either team.

Arranging fixtures

Arranging the fixture is a shared responsibility. The two managers have different jobs, but both must act in good time to make sure the match can be played.

• Sunday / when the fixture is published: both managers should check their next fixture. Fixtures are normally published no later than Sunday evening.
• Home manager — YOU SEND: send the Soccer Manager friendly request promptly after the fixture is published and, for a Saturday match, no later than Wednesday.
• Away manager — THEY SEND: check for the request proactively. If it has not arrived, contact the home manager before the Wednesday request deadline while there is still time to put the problem right.
• Home manager: if a request has been sent but not accepted, remind the away manager in good time.
• Either manager: if there is a technical problem, no response, or another reason the fixture may not be arranged, contact the tournament organiser before the deadline rather than waiting until match day.

Managers can use My Matches to see their own fixtures. YOU SEND means the manager must send the friendly request; THEY SEND means the opponent is responsible for sending it, but the manager must chase if it does not arrive. Reminders and newsfeed posts are a courtesy and do not replace these responsibilities.

If the evidence shows that one manager acted in good time and the other failed to carry out their responsibility, the manager at fault forfeits 0–3.

If neither manager made a reasonable effort to arrange the match in time, both have failed their shared responsibility. In the group stage the match may be recorded as 0–0 with no points; in a knockout round both teams may be disqualified and neither advances. Messages, screenshots and friendly-request evidence may be used to establish what happened.

Fictional Extra Time

In knockout matches, Fictional Extra Time (FET) is used when the tie is still level after normal time and, for two-leg ties, after aggregate score and any applicable away-goals rule.

1. One FET goal for the team with the most possession.
2. One FET goal for the team with the most shots on target.
3. If still level, one additional FET goal for the team with the highest combined possession + shots-on-target figure.

The tournament app records FET progressively so the result shows how a tie was decided.

Free-agent prizes

The old automatic winner prizes ended after managers found ways to gain an unfair advantage. Non-final winners who complete all group and knockout matches without a forfeit may instead be entered into the season's lucky-draw prize process when one is being run.

Any claimed new player must be announced as early as possible on the day they are added to the database and bid for on the same day. Managers must leave room in their squad to complete the signing. A manager who signs a player after being told to withdraw from a valid prize claim may receive a transfer ban.

Where to follow the competition

Open the current Youth Cup for fixtures, groups, results, rankings, fair play and the Cup and Shield brackets.