The Japan Football Association has announced a new international scouting initiative inspired by Blue Lock.
The initiative, titled “FUTURE CAMP inspired by BLUE LOCK,” is being launched in partnership with SCO Group Co., Ltd. and aims to identify promising young football players of Japanese heritage living abroad.
The inaugural camp is scheduled to take place from Aug 3-6, 2026, in Irvine, California.
JFA president and former Japan national team captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said the initiative reflects the increasingly global nature of football development.
“Football is becoming borderless, and the era when Japanese players develop solely within Japan is over. We hope this initiative will help us connect with talented players around the world and support their growth within Japanese football,” said Miyamoto.
Selected athletes will train under JFA coaches through practice sessions, match play, and technical and physical evaluations.
The association stated that the camp will focus on players who hold Japanese nationality, have at least one Japanese parent, or may be eligible for Japanese nationality in the future. Organizers described the project as an international extension of Japan’s National Training Center development model, intended to create pathways between overseas talent and Japan’s football system.
The JFA also confirmed plans to expand FUTURE CAMP into Europe, Asia, and other regions following the inaugural U.S. edition.
The manga’s author Muneyuki Kaneshiro described the project as a real-life Blue Lock, adding that he hopes it becomes a platform capable of discovering talent that surpasses even the initiative portrayed in the manga.
“A real-life Blue Lock is about to begin. I was creating manga with everything I had, and it linked with the dreams of passionate football people, and a real plan was born. I hope this becomes a place for discovering talent that surpasses even Blue Lock itself.“
“The egoists we imagine might actually exist in this real world… no, I’m sure they do,” said Yusuke Nomura, illustrator of Blue Lock. “We’re waiting for applications from all those who believe: ‘I am the world’s greatest striker.’”
Blue Lock began serialization in Kodansha’s Weekly Shonen Magazine in August 2018, and its chapters have been compiled into 38 tankobon volumes as of April 2026.
The manga inspired an anime adaptation produced by Eight Bit, which aired from October 2022 to March 2023. A theatrical anime film based on the Episode Nagi spin-off debuted in April 2024. A second season was broadcast from October to December 2024, and a third season has since been confirmed.
Source: Press Release
