The Kevin De Bruyne Cup, abbreviated KDB Cup, is an international Belgian football tournament for players under the age of 15, which has existed since 2016. The tournament takes place annually at the end of May or beginning of June on the grounds of KVE Drongen in Drongen near Ghent. Professional footballer Kevin De Bruyne gave his name to the tournament and is involved in the organization, which is entirely in the hands of volunteers.
History
Kevin De Bruyne grew up in Drongen. He went to school there and was affiliated to KVV Drongen until 1999, at that time one of the three Drongen football clubs. In 1999, he swapped the club for KAA Gent after which a highly successful career would follow. His parents and sister continued to live in Drongen.
In 2014, it was decided to get Kevin De Bruyne and his family back involved with the club, and to organize an international youth tournament. On 27 August 2015, the NPO KDB was established. This loose NPO would organize the first edition in close cooperation with KVE Drongen in 2016.
The tournament is initially designed as a competition for youth and features academy players who often move on to become senior professionals. Some of the players who have made it into the senior club teams RSC Anderlecht or won awards at the tournament include Jamal Musiala, Gonçalo Ramos, FC Barcelona, Úmaro Embaló (best player in 2016), Moriba Kourouma (best player in 2017), and Jérémy Doku (top scorer in 2017).
The event attracts up to 15,000 visitors.
Records and statistics
Finals
12016 SL Benfica Austria Wien Club Brugge KV FC Barcelona22017 FC Barcelona RSC Anderlecht KRC Genk Chelsea FC32018 RSC Anderlecht AZ Alkmaar Odense BK Manchester City FC42019 Chelsea FC Racing Genk Feyenoord Rotterdam PSV Eindhoven2020Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic2021Cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic52022 FC Barcelona Real Madrid CF KRC Genk Manchester City FC62023 FC Barcelona Paris Saint-Germain FC SE Palmeiras Club Brugge KV72024 Manchester City FC KAA Gent SE Palmeiras KRC Genk82025 FC Barcelona Club Brugge KV Paris Saint-Germain Chelsea FC92026 Bayer 04 Leverkusen Paris Saint-Germain Club Brugge KV RSC Anderlecht
Other team and individual trophies YearFair playBest goalkeeperBest playerTopscorer2016 FC Barcelona Andreas Søndergaard Odense Boldklub Umaro Embaló SL Benfica Umaro Embaló SL Benfica, 4 goals2017 SL Benfica Ramon Vila FC Barcelona Ilaix Moriba FC Barcelona Jeremy Doku RSC Anderlecht, 11 goals2018 FC Zenit Saint Petersburg Daniël Deen AZ Alkmaar Kian Fitz-Jim AZ Alkmaar Charlie McNeill Manchester City FC2019 Feyenoord Rotterdam Josh Clarke Chelsea FC Charlie Webster Chelsea FC Ángel Alarcón FC Barcelona, 4 goals2022 Club Brugge KV Hudson Sands Chelsea FC Juan Hernández Torres FC Barcelona Emre Ünüvar AFC Ajax, 5 goals2023 Real Madrid CF Bas Evers KAA Gent Guille Fernández FC Barcelona Lucas Gabriel Oliveira de Lima SE Palmeiras, 6 goals2024 Manchester United FC Lucas Alvarado Manchester City FC Gianluca Okon Club Brugge KV Floyd Samba Manchester City FC, 4 goals2025 LOSC Lille Yaron Ommer Bayer Leverkusen Hugo Garces Lagunas FC Barcelona Matteo Soria Club Brugge KV2026 Chelsea Loris Wuytens Racing Genk Haron Eladdouti Bayer 04 Leverkusen Mike Fahrenkamp Bayer 04 Leverkusen
Participation statistics (as of 2026)
TeamTotaltimesparticipatedLasttimeparticipatedPrevious bestperformance Gent 9 2026 Runners-up (2024) Club Brugge 9 2026 Runners-up (2025) Genk 8 2026 Runners-up (2019) Barcelona 7 2025 Winners (2017, 2022, 2023, 2025) Anderlecht 7 2026 Winners (2018) Chelsea 7 2026 Winners (2019) Paris Saint-Germain 7 2026 Runners-up (2023, 2026) Manchester City 6 2025 Winners (2024) Odense BK 5 2023 Third place (2018) PSV Eindhoven 4 2026 Fourth place (2019) Ajax 3 2026 Sixth place (2022, 2023) AZ 3 2018 Runners-up (2018) Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3 2026 Winners (2026) Bayern Munich 3 2025 Fifth place (2025) Borussia Dortmund 3 2026 Eighth place (2018) Benfica 2 2017 Winners (2016) Leipzig 2 2024 Seventh place (2024) Lille 2 2025 Eighth place (2022) Manchester United 2 2026 Eighth place (2024) Palmeiras 2 2024 Third place (2023, 2024) Real Madrid 2 2023 Runners-up (2022) Arsenal 1 2017 Seventh place (2017) Austria Wien 1 2016 Runners-up (2016) Beşiktaş 1 2018 Sixth place (2018) Everton 1 2016 Eleventh place (2016) Feyenoord 1 2019 Third place (2019) Mamelodi Sundowns 1 2023 Eighth place (2023) Marseille 1 2017 Eighth place (2017) Rangers 1 2024 Ninth place (2024) Sporting CP 1 2026 Sixth place (2026) Tottenham Hotspur 1 2016 Twelfth place (2016) Wolfsburg 1 2016 Ninth place (2016) Zenit Saint Petersburg 1 2018 Fifth place (2018)
References
External links Official website