Northern Star Cup
INTERNATIONAL YOUTH FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT

Northern Star CupNORTHERN STAR
RUSE

“Keep on Dreaming”

« I edition · 2024 II edition · 2025 III edition · 2026 ›

Click the year to view the full results of the corresponding edition

Northern Star CupAbout the Tournament

400+children
30+teams
4countries
75+matches

The Northern Star Cup was founded in 2024 in memory of 11-year-old Ventseslav Georgiev – a talented footballer from FC Dunav Ruse’s academy who was tragically killed by lightning during training in August 2023. The tournament is dedicated to his spirit, his smile, and his dream of great football.

Organised by FC Dunav under the patronage of the Municipality of Ruse and supported by the “Sport and Safety – Smile for Ventsi” Foundation, the tournament has quickly established itself as one of the most significant international youth sports events in the Balkans. Matches are played at the Dunav Sports Complex in the Zdravets district of Ruse.

Format & Age Groups

U-9

Born 2017

Football 5-a-side

U-11

Born 2015

Football 7-a-side

U-13

Born 2013

Football 9-a-side

U-14

Born 2012

Football 11-a-side

Participating Academies

Levski Sofia PFC Levski Sofia CSKA Sofia CSKA-Sofia FC Dunav Ruse FC Dunav Ruse Ludogorets PFC Ludogorets FCSB FCSB Bucharest Bursaspor Bursaspor Dinamo Bucharest Dinamo Bucharest Rapid Bucharest Rapid Bucharest Septemvri Sofia Septemvri Sofia Botev Vratsa Botev Vratsa Lokomotiv GO Lokomotiv GO Bolyarcheta Bolyarcheta V. Tarnovo Beşiktaş JK Beşiktaş Istanbul Dobrudzha Dobrich Dobrudzha Dobrich Etar V. Tarnovo Etar V. Tarnovo Atletico Ruse Atletico Ruse Progresul Spartac Progresul Spartac PRO Giurgiu PRO Giurgiu Galaktik Galaktik Dunarea Giurgiu Dunarea Giurgiu
3RD EDITION

Northern Star CupNorthern Star • Ruse 2026

1 – 6 May 2026 • Dunav Sports Complex, Zdravets, Ruse

The third edition gathered 500+ children in 48 teams from three countries (Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey). Special guests — Beşiktaş (Istanbul) and Rapid Bucharest. The finals were held on May 6 — Ruse Day.

Champions by age group — III edition

2014Septemvri Sofia
2015Rapid Bucharest
2016Beşiktaş Istanbul
2017Rapid Bucharest
2018CSKA Sofia
2019Bolyarcheta Veliko Tarnovo
Full results, video and media coverage ›
2ND EDITION

Northern Star CupNorthern Star 2025

“Keep on Dreaming”

2–6 May 2025 • Dunav Sports Complex, Zdravets, Ruse

The second edition brought together over 400 children in 30 teams from Bulgaria and Romania. Over 75 matches were played across 4 age categories in 5 days.

Results by Age Group

U-14 (born 2012)
🥇 PFC Levski Sofia
🥈 CSKA-Sofia
🥉 FCSB Bucharest

Top Scorer: Denis Burcha (FCSB Bucharest)

U-13 (born 2013)
🥇 PFC Levski Sofia
🥈 CSKA-Sofia
🥉 FCSB Bucharest

Top Scorer: Pavlin Zlatkov (PFC Levski Sofia)

Best Goalkeeper: Kolyo Tsenov (Botev Vratsa)

Best Player: Hristo Zlatinov (CSKA-Sofia)

U-11 (born 2015)
🥇 FC Dunav Ruse
🥈 PFC Levski Sofia
🥉 PFC Ludogorets Razgrad

Dunav Ruse, Levski Sofia, CSKA-Sofia, Ludogorets Razgrad, Bolyarcheta V. Tarnovo, Dinamo Bucharest, Rapid Bucharest, Progresul Spartac

U-9 (born 2017)
🥇 CSKA-Sofia
🥈 FC Dunav Ruse
🥉 Bolyarcheta V. Tarnovo

Dunav Ruse, CSKA-Sofia, Bolyarcheta V. Tarnovo, Lokomotiv G. Oryahovitsa, Dinamo Bucharest, Progresul Spartac

Champions by Age Group

U-14PFC Levski Sofia
U-13PFC Levski Sofia
U-11FC Dunav Ruse
U-9CSKA-Sofia
Northern Star · Ruse 2025 (“Keep on Dreaming” promo)
Vetsy Cup 2025 (II edition)

Media Coverage

Focus News TVN.bg KotaSport KotaSport (results) ProNews Dobrich Ruse Municipality BNT
1ST EDITION

Northern Star CupNorthern Star 2024

“Celebrate Life”

3–5 May 2024 • Dunav Stadium, Ruse

The inaugural edition gathered 8 teams from 3 countries (Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey) in the U-12 category (born 2012). Bursaspor (Turkey) triumphed after dramatic, goal-filled matches.

Group A

  • Bursaspor
  • PFC Levski Sofia
  • FC Dunav Ruse
  • Progresul

Group B

  • FCSB Bucharest
  • Lokomotiv G. Oryahovitsa
  • Septemvri Sofia
  • PFC Ludogorets Razgrad

Results – Day 1

Dunav Ruse2 : 2Progresul
Levski Sofia1 : 2Bursaspor
FCSB4 : 0Lokomotiv GO
Ludogorets1 : 5Septemvri Sofia
Progresul0 : 10Levski Sofia
Bursaspor5 : 1Dunav Ruse
Septemvri Sofia1 : 5FCSB
Lokomotiv GO4 : 2Ludogorets

Final

Bursaspor VS FCSB Bucharest

🏆 Champion: Bursaspor (Turkey)

Media Coverage

TopSport.bg BTA Bryag News Utro Ruse Ruse Media Ruse News

Northern Star CupSupport the Tournament

Every donation helps provide safe conditions, quality pitches, and an unforgettable experience for hundreds of children from across Europe.

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