November 20 – The 522nd CIES Football Observatory Weekly Post ranks 50 top divisions around the world based on how many minutes were given to U21 players eligible for that league’s national team during the 2025 calendar year.
Australia’s A-League Men comes out on top, with young domestic players representing 17.7 percent of all minutes played. Serbia’s Super Liga (15.8 percent) and Denmark’s Superliga (11.7 percent) complete the top three.
Among Europe’s major leagues, however, the numbers drop sharply. France’s Ligue 1 sits 17th overall at 7.8 percent, while Italy’s Serie A is near the bottom at just 1.9 percent. The Premier League isn’t far off, with U21 domestic players accounting for only 2.4 percent of minutes.
The report also tracks how many U21 players eligible for each of the 50 countries involved appeared in these leagues during 2025.
Argentina leads the way with 213 players, who together logged 112,455 minutes and earned the highest cumulative experience score. Colombia follows with 185 players (88,706 minutes), then Brazil with 173 (73,325 minutes).
France ranks fourth in both number of players and minutes, and third in cumulative experience. The English Premier League ranks in the bottom five.
Cumulative experience is calculated by weighting total minutes according to the competitive level of the matches played. Overall, the findings highlight where young domestic talent is actually getting meaningful game time, and where pathways remain limited.
U21 players fielded in 50 top-division domestic leagues worldwide, 01/01/2025 to 19/11/2025.
