FC Bayern thinks globally in its youth development, as it has done for a long time. Since the FC Bayern Campus and its youth teams aren’t open to every talent in the world, the club has developed an international pathway over the years. This offers young players from across the globe a realistic and structured prospect in competitive football – from the first camps, where the focus is on enjoyment of the game, through targeted selection and support, to the opportunity to showcase yourself under professional conditions and take the next steps towards professional football. The foundations for this are the standards, methodology and values of the FC Bayern Campus in Munich.
A special milestone is the new FC Bayern Residential Academy in San Diego County. Officially announced in May 2026 and now up and running, it’s FC Bayern’s first completely in-house and permanent youth structure outside Munich. Training takes place at the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, which previously offered Olympic and Paralympic athletes top-quality training facilities. FC Bayern now trains U15 and U17 players in this environment on a residential basis.
A highly professional coaching team ensure that first-class training, individual development plans and flexible school programmes seamlessly intertwine – entirely in accordance with FC Bayern’s standards and under our own direction. Thanks to the relationship with partner club LAFC, there’s also a direct link to US professional football. Therefore, Chula Vista is much more than just another point on the map: it’s the beating heart of our youth strategy in the American market. For the first time, FC Bayern is running an academy overseas completely by itself, with its own structures, own staff and the complete FC Bayern DNA on site.
As well as its own academy in San Diego, FC Bayern works closely together with local partners in several other locations in order to embed the FC Bayern way there. In Taicang, China, a collaboration with a local middle school has been going since 2023. The joint youth football project encompasses year-round training and matches as well as two FC Bayern coaches permanently based on site. On the pitch, this partnership has already been rewarded with titles such as the Taicang Mayor Cup.
In Kigali, Rwanda, FC Bayern has been running its own academy since 2023. In August 2025, the agreement with the Rwanda Development Board and the Ministry of Sports to continue the FC Bayern Academy was extended for a further three years, with a view to developing the academy further and strengthening the programme in the long term. The focus is on identifying and developing talent, as part of a sporting and social project in Africa.
Since September 2026, FC Bayern has also had a presence in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, where an academy has launched under the FC Bayern licence together with a strong local partner. The website of the FC Bayern Academy UAE can be found HERE.
Whether it’s an in-house academy like in San Diego or a strong partnership like in China, Rwanda and Dubai: every location follows the same philosophy. The focus is on a long-term and player-centred development on and off the pitch, with authentic access to the DNA of the German record champions. The FC Bayern Pathway is not a sprint but a step-by-step approach – and this eventually takes the best to a pro contract and to Munich.