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Veo X KDB Cup 2022
Veo and the KDB Cup show the world how to host a youth tournament
July 20th 2022
Ebba Nelligan
FC Barcelona - Champions of the KDB Cup, Celebrating Their Victory with the Prestigious Trophy in Hand

The Next Gen. El Clásico

The day after the 2022 Champions League Final in Paris, Real Madrid and Barcelona played a hotly contested El Clásico, with Barcelona running out 3-1 winners. But this wasn't a game played at Camp Nou or Bernabeu; the location of the epic tie was the home of KVE Drongen in the 3rd Division of amateur soccer in Belgium, and the match was the final of the KDB Cup, a youth tournament that is the brainchild of Premier League Player of the Year Kevin De Bruyne.

"The KDB Cup is one of the top tournaments in the world."
Pol Planas Pérez
Barcelona Coach

In its fifth iteration, and after an extended break due to the pandemic, the tournament is cementing itself as one of the best youth tournaments in the world. Off the field, the 2022 edition managed a notable landmark - it was broadcast free-to-air in over 104 countries by the sports camera platform Veo and the organisation's new streaming service Veo Live.



Kevin De Bruyne's Brainchild 

The elite U15 tournament takes place a stone's throw from the world-famous midfielder's family home, at the grounds of a small club in Drongen, Belgium - and features some of the best teams in Europe, including Barcelona, Real Madrid, Chelsea, Manchester City, PSG, LOSC Lille, Borussia Dortmund, as well as Belgium's Big 4 of Club Brugge, Genk, Gent, and Anderlecht.

In a simple format, played on two adjacent pitches over two days, over 15,000 people get to watch the next generation of soccer players compete in intimate surroundings. 

De Bruyne says he was inspired by the idea of helping the tournament organizers, as the concept brought back vivid memories of his days as a youth player, combined with the opportunity to invite teams from around the world to compete against each other.


Taking the KDB to the Next Level with Veo

 

Veo and the KDB Cup began a unique 2-year partnership where Veo's innovative AI Sports cameras enabled coaches and players from the youth teams to access their recordings for match highlights and analysis. At the same time, friends, family, and friends worldwide could watch for free on the Veo Live app. 



The partnership aims to elevate the experience for youth players and coaches at the tournament while also showcasing to the world of grassroots sports what is possible when live-streaming technology is made accessible.

"Veo will help the KDB Cup take the next big leap."
Kevin De Bruyne
Belgium midfielder

The timing of the KDB Cup provided a perfect testing ground for the engineers and designers behind the new Veo Cam 2, which started shipping this year. Veo's new product experience aims to disrupt the way we watch sport, enabling people the opportunity to watch their local or school teams - or even discover teams around the world. 

Over the KDB Cup weekend, nearly 45,000 viewers tuned in live and on-demand with Veo with over 280,000 fan reactions during the live matches. The Veo Live app rose to the top 10 sports apps in five countries and became the #4 most downloaded app in Belgium overall.

How The Tournament Panned Out

Each of the four groups in the tournament comprises three teams, who play each other in intense 20-minute halves, with the top two teams making it to the quarter-finals. All 30 matches played at the KDB Cup were captured with Veo, removing the need for multiple camera operators at the event, as well as enabling players the ability to review and share their individual highlights.

The format of 20-minute halves provided an optimal viewing experience for fans watching on the Veo Live app, with 10,000 app installs over the tournament weekend, indicating a clear appetite for a new kind of entertainment. Nearly 2,000 viewers tuned in to the final to see the two big giants from Spain battle for the trophy.

Overall, the Veo KDB Cup reached over 20 million impressions worldwide. Veo's content team provided live updates directing viewers to upcoming games on the app and daily recap videos. 

COPA90 were in attendance to create exclusive content, from a Soccer AM-style Skills School with the Chelsea academy players to highlights from the Man City vs. Real Madrid game, which has over 9 and a half million views on TikTok alone.

Uncovering Talent

Roc Nation Sports International, also partners of the KDB Cup and Veo, identify this among the top youth tournaments in the world. This year, several players were highlighted as exceptional talents, with everyone wondering who will follow in the footsteps of Jamal Musiala and Ansu Fati, in having played at the KDB Cup. 

"I have played with players and trained with them who played at my tournament, so it's a little bit of a weird experience," De Bruyne jokes. "But it's nice to see that you already have big stars in soccer these days that played in my tournament."

In the past, the likes of Pep Guardiola and Roberto Martínez visited the cup for a glimpse of future talent. This year Thomas Vermaelen, Patrick Kluivert, and Darren Fletcher made appearances, with Kluivert seeing his son score the tournament's winning goal.

A new Torres announced himself onto the world stage, with Juan Hernandez Torres from FC Barcelona picking up the MVP award. Chelsea player Sands Hudson collected the Best Goalkeeper award, and Ünüvar Emre from Ajax was named the Top Scorer.



The Future of Technology in Youth Soccer

The Veo KDB Cup demonstrated that technology’s disruption in youth soccer is simultaneously creating a new form of entertainment among fans together with a more engaging style of learning between coaches and players.

"You can do everything you want with analyzing, following these types of players. From youth players to professionals, everybody can join in if they want to - so I think the market has unlimited potential." 

- Kevin De Bruyne.

Veo will continue to take learnings from the KDB Cup to enhance its product and inspire its community with the possibility of live-streaming and having a platform for analysis and learning.

All games from the KDB Cup are still available to watch on-demand on the Veo Live app.

“This year’s tournament was the best one yet. Veo’s technology helped us provide teams with the necessary equipment for analysis and opened the KDB Cup to a whole new audience through live-streaming. We can’t wait for next year.”

- Paul Naudts, Chairman KDB Cup and Jeroen Verhille, Tournament Leader KDB Cup

“It was seriously surreal for me to watch FC Barcelona v Real Madrid in the final of the KDB Cup - with Veo live-streaming the match; I’m still pinching myself.” 

- Henrik Teisbæk, CEO, Veo



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Key Results

  • +20 million impressions of the Veo x KDB Cup
  • #4 App Overall in Belgium 
  • Top 10 Sports Apps in Five Countries 
  • 10,000 app installs over the 2-day tournament weekend
  • 104 different countries viewed the Veo x KDB Cup 
  • 45,000 views (live and on-demand)
  • 13,000 on-demand views
  • 2,000 viewers tuned into the final live
  • 280k reactions in the Veo Live app
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