The young footballers spent time together and “shared the day” with their peers from across the region and other European countries.

No one was alone on the pitches in Stapar and Ravni Topolovac, and we’re sure thousands of children’s faces were beaming with happiness at matches in the many football leagues too, just as they were on the pitches “between the buildings” or on ordinary fields, where two trees or stones and a ball are all it takes for a local “derby” to begin—one every bit as thrilling as an English, Spanish or any other match in the world of “big” football.

That excitement, friendship and pure childhood emotions are the most beautiful things football has to offer in the younger age categories, while medals and trophies are just an added “decoration” to the story.

Well then, today is “that day” of the week we chose to share with you everything we learned over the weekend and give you a little praise for all your footballing achievements. And you can share this with those you love and who love you.

But enough of the talking; let’s see what the AFT rankings look like as of October 14, 2026:

U7 (born in 2020) – “The tree-lined avenues are asleep too, the moon grows drowsy and fades...” (Ismet Bekrić, “Lullaby for a Little Girl”)
We didn’t record any tournaments this weekend either for the youngest age group we follow in the AFT system. So, for now, the little ones seem a bit “sleepy”, so we’ll be quiet and careful not to wake them or spoil their football dreams.

We’ll just whisper that everyone is still in the same position - in first place is MERIDIANA from Novi Sad, in second place is JEDINSTVO from Rumenka; and three teams are “sharing” third place – VOŠINI KLINCI (Novi Sad), SPORTISIMO (Bijeljina) and NK STUDENTSKI GRAD (Zagreb).

Now that we’ve shared that with you, we can move on to the next age group with a clear conscience. Check THIS LINK to see where your team, or your favourite team, stands.  

U8 (born in 2019) – “It’s a forest and a mountain, a quiet village, a town, a meadow...” – (Momčilo Tešić, “Snow Airport”) 
At first glance, it looks like there haven’t been many changes here either. First place is still held by EUROSPORT from Kumanovo, with MERIDIANA in second place.

However, YOUNG TEAM from Struga is now in third place, having “earned” that position thanks to their good performances at the WEST BALKAN CHILDREN`S CUP (since we’ll be mentioning this tournament again today, we’ll shorten its name to WBC CUP).

It’s also worth mentioning the achievement of NK UTRINA from Zagreb, who won the UMAG TIKA TAKA CUP and have thus moved into a tie for 14th place in the age-group rankings.

The other teams in the top 20 have shifted slightly, and it’s also interesting that the number of teams earning AFT points has now risen to 164. 

In any case, check for yourself who has joined the rankings at THIS LINK  

U9 (born in 2018) – “Today it’s Gucci, tomorrow Armani...” (“Beautiful Doll”)
The under-9s had to learn songs at school this weekend and didn’t have time to take part in tournaments. Joking aside, there were tournaments in this age group, but the teams’ performances didn’t cause many changes among the top 20.

The top three are still GNK DINAMO, VOJVODINA and HNK HAJDUK, and their pursuers haven’t earned any new points that would change their positions either.

Still, one team – FC MONDANO from Skopje – climbed 19 places and moved into a tie for 19th on our list. You guessed it: this is thanks to their participation in the WBC CUP in Ohrid, where they took third place.

So this team, whose name aims for “high society”, has found itself in the “high society” of this age group for the first time—that is, among the top 20.    

It’s great to see that 296 teams have earned AFT points in this age group, and since we can’t keep track of every single one, look up your team at THIS LINK  

U10 (born in 2017) – “The firebird flew up into the sky...” (Melita Osojnik, “The Firebird”)
We’re halfway through our age-group roundup, and we must note that YOUNG TEAM from Struga, after winning the WBC CUP this weekend, is now “halfway” between the leaders, CRVENA ZVEZDA, and the team in third place, DINAMO.

Like that “young team”, another team also “rose from the flames” of the UMAG TIKA TAKA CUP this weekend and, by winning the tournament title, came within reach of the top-ranked teams. That team is Ljubljana’s NK FENIX, now in fifth place in our rankings.

This is already their third gold medal this season, so we believe this Slovenian “firebird” will keep “burning bright” at tournaments across Slovenia and the region all season long.

Considering that there are currently 278 teams on the list, the achievements of YOUNG TEAM and NK FENIX are all the more impressive. Congratulations to them both, and we recommend you follow THIS LINK to see where your team stands.    

U11 (born in 2016) – “The future belongs to the young, and life smiles...” (Duško Trifunović, “The Young”)
The 2016 age group continues to break all records for the number of teams in the rankings. There are now as many as 332 teams on the list, with CRVENA ZVEZDA and VOJVODINA right at the top.

However, AF ALEXANDRO from Skopje has come “dangerously” close to them and (after winning the silver medal at the GRAND PRIX in Mali Lošinj) now stands alone in third place.

The team ULTRAS KIDS from Struga can also be proud of a good result at the WBC CUP, which earned them a nine-place climb to fifth in the rankings.

We can’t leave out YOUNG TEAM in this age group either. Also from Struga, they have now reached 13th place (also thanks to the WBC CUP). Looking at all teams across all age groups, they earned the most AFT points this weekend and climbed several rankings, so we send them our warmest greetings and congratulations on this achievement.

Check where your team stands after the first half of October at THIS LINK

U12 (born in 2015) – “Like a national celebration...” (“Colombia at the World Cup”)
Although the top of this age group’s table hasn’t changed (it’s still PARTIZAN, ČUKARIČKI and VOJVODINA), the same can’t be said for the other positions among the top 20 teams.

Thanks to their success at the WBC CUP, YOUNG TEAM and EUROFUDBAL (Ohrid) are now tied for 13th place. Also, FK SENJAK (Valjevo) has reached 17th place for the same reason.

However, the biggest “jump” this week was made by NACIONAL from Podgorica, who also won the WBC CUP in this age category. They “jumped over” 55 places and are now tied for 18th, out of the 222 teams that have earned AFT points this season.

This means that, compared to last week, 15 new names have appeared in the rankings. Check whether your team’s name is among them at THIS LINK.

U13 (born in 2014) – “To feel joy—what a thing it is; joy gives children wings...” (Ljubivoje Ršumović, “Children Can Fly”)
Believe it or not, there are now 222 teams in the rankings in this age group too. At the top are still STARI AERODROM (Podgorica), PARTIZAN and ČUKARIČKI, but there have been changes in the top 20 too. And, believe it or not (once again), YOUNG TEAM is here again, having made it among the top teams here too, in 13th place to be exact.

Sharing that place with them are the boys from the football club ALEGRIA (Bački Petrovac), who also won the WBC CUP this weekend and climbed 36 places in the table.

They brought themselves a joy they’re sure to remember for a long time, as their club’s name can be translated that way too.   
See the other changes—and there were some—at THIS LINK, and feel free to share your team’s position if we haven’t praised you today.

Since we began this report on changes in the AFT rankings with lines from a children’s poem and tried to follow that “trend” in our coverage of each age group, it’s only fitting that we end in the same style. We’ve reached the end of this week’s report, so:

“At the end of all things, there’s always a new beginning. Endings wear out, beginnings last forever. A beginning—that’s what there is at the end!” (Duško Radović, „What’s at the End“)

So, we’ll spend time with you again next week. Until then, you can follow us on our FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM profiles, and check whether a new tournament has been scheduled where you can show off your football skills and hard work, and find new friends and experiences.

Warm sporting wishes and all the best – from your AFT team!