The first CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post for what promises to be an exciting new season ranks teams from 50 top division leagues around the world according to the percentage of domestic league minutes in 2026 by players who had not yet turned 21 at the time of the matches.
Topping the table with 48.1% of minutes by U21s are Danish side FC Nordsjælland. This is a unique team and project, bringing together players trained locally or at the Right to Dream partner academy in Ghana, as well as other talents spotted at a very young age, and also standing out for its highly technical style of play, its ability to generate great transfer fees and its proven results
RC Strasbourg ranks second (37.9% of minutes by U21s), whilst the Serbian side FK Partizan rounds up the podium (37.0%). Australia’s Melbourne City is the top-ranked team outside of Europe (5th, 32.9%). The City Group’s side are ahead of the Americans of San Diego FC (30.6%), a club also controlled by the owners of FC Nordsjælland, following a similar strategy both technically and demographically.
>>> Other exclusive demographic data in this tool
>>> Last Prospect Sheet (with Impect) : Givairo Zechiël / Eredivisie
% of minutes by U21 players
Domestic league matches since 01/01/2026