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The unprecedented success story of the FC Bayern World Squad continues: the German record champions are launching the sixth edition of their unique international youth project, once again in close partnership with Audi. This year, the club is again offering gifted talents around the globe the chance to develop in a professional environment with a view to fulfilling their dream of turning professional.
Rouven Kasper, board member for marketing and sales: “We are very proud of how the FC Bayern World Squad has established itself as an international scouting platform. FC Bayern has a worldwide network, both in a sporting sense and beyond, and we want to open doors to talents from across the world that might otherwise be closed to them. We are really looking forward to the sixth edition, together with our partner Audi.”
Christian Schüller, director of experiential and sports marketing at Audi: “Diversity is more than a value for Audi – it’s the basis for further development. The FC Bayern World Squad stands as an example of the possibilities of intercultural collaboration and exceptional achievements both on and off the field. Together with FC Bayern, we give young talents the opportunity to pursue paths that once seemed out of reach.”
The new season saw 23 players from 15 countries born in 2008 or 2009 selected. Two of them are returning players from the previous edition, highlighting the lasting character of the project. Scouting has been under way since January 2026 and was carried out in close coordination with partner clubs and scouts worldwide.
Jochen Sauer, director of youth development: “The success story of the FC Bayern World Squad grows season after season. This year, Maycon Cardozo became the first player from the project to make his debut for our first team. FC Bayern benefits from an added, new pool of youth talent – and the young players from a training programme that focuses not only on footballing ability but also on personal development.”
On the touchline, FC Bayern is counting on proven continuity. Former international striker Roy Makaay again takes on the role of head coach, supported once more by long-time FCB players Diego Contento as assistant coach and Bernd Dreher as goalkeeper coach.
Roy Makaay, head coach: “It is a great honour for me to again be accompanying the journey of these interesting young players from across the world, together with Diego and Bernd. The FC Bayern World Squad is a great project and we are very proud when the talents break into professional football – ideally in the FC Bayern first team.”
We’ll be following the FC Bayern World Squad on their journey in our live blog:
As always, the project’s schedule is clearly structured: it kicks off in Munich in June with the official start of training. This year, the team will then travel to South Korea for a training camp, with stops in Jeju and Seoul. The itinerary includes friendly matches against Jeju SK and FC Seoul. South Korea is also the destination for the pros on this year’s ‘Audi Summer Tour’, where head coach Vincent Kompany’s team will also face the local side in Jeju. After returning to Germany, more preparation matches await before the highlight: a game against FC Bayern’s U19 team.
The success of the project to date is best illustrated by the example of Maycon Cardozo. The attacker made his professional debut for FC Bayern in the 4-1 victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach at the Allianz Arena in March 2026 – just a few days after signing a long-term development contract with the German record champions. Other World Squad talents are now playing for renowned professional clubs around the world: Marco Morigi, for example, at New York Red Bulls (reserve team), Gyeong-Bin Mo at Suwon Samsung Bluewings in the Korean second division, and Giovanni de Abreu at Perth Glory FC in Australia. These developments underscore the project’s mission to truly open doors to professional football for the players.
This season, the FC Bayern World Squad will receive even more media coverage. For the first time, a mini-series is being produced in parallel and will be released on the Instagram channel @fcbayernpathway. There, fans will get exclusive insights into the daily lives, challenges and development of the young talents – authentic, direct and up close. In addition, FC Bayern’s official channels will provide comprehensive coverage of the key stages and highlights of this year’s project.
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