The Japan Football Association (JFA) has launched a new international scouting initiative inspired by BLUE LOCK, aiming to identify promising football players of Japanese heritage living overseas and connect them with Japan’s elite player development pathway.
Called JFA × SCO GROUP “FUTURE CAMP inspired by BLUE LOCK,” the program will hold its first event in Irvine, California, from August 3 to 6, 2026. The camp will be JFA’s first large-scale overseas talent identification project.
The initiative is open to players born between January 1, 2010 and December 31, 2011 who hold Japanese nationality, have at least one Japanese parent, or may be eligible for Japanese nationality in the future. Approximately 25 players will be selected to participate in training sessions, matches, physical assessments, and evaluations conducted by JFA coaches.
According to JFA, the project aims to identify talented players developing outside Japan and provide opportunities to cultivate the skills and mindset required to compete at the highest levels of Japanese football.
The camp is being launched in collaboration with BLUE LOCK, the football manga and anime franchise created by Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura. The series has surpassed 50 million copies in circulation worldwide and follows Japan’s attempt to create the world’s greatest striker through an intense training program. JFA says the franchise’s “themes of ambition, individuality, self-discovery, and competitive excellence” serve as “symbolic inspiration for the project.”
JFA President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said the globalization of football has changed how Japanese players develop, making it increasingly important to identify talent outside Japan. He added that the organization hopes to expand FUTURE CAMP beyond the United States to Europe, Asia, and other regions in the future.
BLUE LOCK creator Muneyuki Kaneshiro described the initiative as “a real-life BLUE LOCK,” saying:
“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.”
Applications for the inaugural camp opened on May 11 and will remain available until June 12, with selected participants scheduled to be announced in late June.
The first FUTURE CAMP will take place at Great Park in Irvine, California, with support from SCO Group and a delegation of JFA coaches alongside members of Japan’s U-15 national team development program.
BLUE LOCK has a live-action film set to premiere in August, as well as Season 3 TV anime in production.
Source: Press Release
© Muneyuki Kaneshiro, Yusuke Nomura / BLUE LOCK Film Production Committee
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