The DANONE NATIONS CUP is an international football tournament organized every year since 2000, on the initiative of Groupe DANONE. Supported by Zinedine Zidane, it gathers 10 to 12 y.o. children from 40 different countries and all continents. This competition is made of 40 national tournaments and a World Final agreed by the FIFA. Each year 40 teams are qualified to represent their country at the World Final. Beyond the sports event, the competition is also a way to promote the values of Groupe DANONE: Humanism, Open-mindedness, Proximity and Enthusiasm.
2,5 million children worldwide take part every year in the event !
Following the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France, Groupe DANONE decided to create an international football tournament for kids.
In 2000, the 1st edition of the DANONE NATIONS CUP took place, gathering 8 teams from 2 continents: Bulgaria, France, Italy, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Turkey and Ukraine. Already 35.000 players and 125.000 spectators worldwide! France became the first team to raise the DNC trophy, whilst Aydin Yilmaz, one of the Turkish players, is now playing as a professional for one the best clubs in his country: Galatasaray! Stories like these confirm the philosophy of the event: "Believe in your dreams".
In 2001 the event considerably grew up as 24 teams, representing 24 nations from 4 different continents. Giovani “Gio” dos Santos, former player of FC Barcelona, was chosen as the best player of the tournament. Reunion Islands won the competition in 2001, while Argentina won the 2002 edition.
In 2003, the DANONE NATIONS CUP moved up to a higher level! 32 countries participated and Zinedine Zidane became the official ambassador of the competition. Between 2003 and 2006, the event has been respectively won by South Africa, Spain and Reunion Islands.
In the year 2007 the DANONE NATIONS CUP took another step by gathering 40 countries from all over the world. Therefore, new countries joined the adventure such as Saudi Arabia, Chile, Hungary, Uruguay, Namibia and Bangladesh. The World Final took place in front of 35.000 spectators and more than 250 journalists. South Africa won its second DNC.
In 2008, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Mauritius Islands and Qatar took part in the event. 8 years after its first victory, the team representing France made its dream come true by winning the 9th edition in front of their ambassador and World Cup Champion Zinedine Zidane.
The content of the site, and particularly, but not exclusively, texts, photographs, formatting, the graphic charter, brands, logos and other distinctive markings which appear on the site, are protected by intellectual property law and are the exclusive property of Groupe Danone. They may not be used without Groupe Danone's prior authorisation.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the site content is accurate and up-to-date. However, it is possible that the information and/or documents shown may contain errors. Users of the site must therefore check the accuracy of information where necessary. Groupe Danone shall under no circumstances accept liability for any direct or indirect damage that may result from accessing the site and/or using the site content.
In accordance with the Law on Information Technology and Freedoms dated 6 January 1978, you have the right to access, modify and delete your personal data. You may exercise this right by writing to: Groupe Danone (15, rue Helder - 75439 Paris Cedex 09).
The information collected is intended for Groupe Danone and will not be passed on to third parties.
