25 Feb 2026
Aspire Academy’s 2012-generation footballers have won the 2026 Besov Cup, hosted by Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg.
The four-team event also included Serbia’s FK Vojvodina Academy and the Academy of the Belarusian Football Federation (ABFF).
Aspire Academy registered two wins before losing their final group game, finishing top of the mini-league and qualifying for the final against ABFF.
The final was a repeat of the opening game of the tournament, which Aspire Academy won 3-1, and it proved to be a hard-fought final that ended 1-1 after normal time, taking the match to penalties.
In the shoot-out, ABFF hit the post twice and had one spot-kick saved, while Aspire Academy scored three of their five attempts to emerge victorious and lift the trophy.
Hosts Zenit clinched third place with a convincing 5-1 win over Vojvodina in a play-off.
The Dmitry Besov Cup is an annual international tournament and has been held in St. Petersburg since 2012.
Teams such as Borussia Dortmund, Tottenham Hotspur, Benfica, and Porto have all taken part in previous years.