Elite Pro Academy
The Elite Pro Academy is an Indonesian system of youth football leagues that are operated by the I-League (previously the PSSI). The system was introduced in early 2018 and was active for the first time during the 2018 season. The system covers the under-16 since 2018, under-18 and under-20 age groups since 2019 & under-14 age groups since 2022. It runs in conjunction with the Super League as a developmental competition.
Under-20 level
 Competition logo from the 2023–24 EPA season | |
| Organising body | I-League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
| Number of clubs | 18 (2019–2026) 21 (2026–) |
| Current champions | Persija U20s (1st title) |
| Most championships | Persebaya U20s Persis U20s Persita U20s Persija U20s (1 title) |
| Current: 2026–27 | |
| Organising body | I-League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2025 |
| Number of clubs | 20 |
| Current champions | Sumsel United U20 |
| Most championships | Sumsel United U20 (1 title) |
| Current: 2025–26 | |
This age group for Elite Pro Academy was introduced on 2019. For the 2026–2027 season, the league is divided into three groups, each consisting of seven teams. Each group plays a triple round-robin system. The group winners and the best runner-up advance to the knockout round.
For the 2026–27 season, I-League plans to expand the competition by including clubs from Championship to participate at the U-20 level. A total of 21 participating teams (18 Super League teams and 3 Championship teams that met the youth development qualification criteria for club licensing).
2026–27 teams
- EPA One U-20
Note: Asteriek denotes Championship teams.
- EPA Championship U-20
Championship history
| Season | Finals host | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar | Persebaya U20s | 3–3 (3–0 p) |
Barito Putera U20s | PSIS U20s | 3–2 | Bhayangkara U20s |
| 2020 | not held due to COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia | ||||||
| 2021 | not held | ||||||
| 2022 | |||||||
| 2023–24 | Manahan Stadium, Surakarta | Persis U20s | 3–1 | Persita U20s | Borneo U20s | 3–0 | Persebaya U20s |
| 2024–25 | Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi | Persita U20s | 0–0 (4–3 p) |
Dewa United U20s | Persija U20s | 2–1 (a.e.t.) |
Malut United U20s |
| 2025–26 | Garudayaksa Football Academy Complex, Bekasi Regency | Persija U20s | 1–0 | Malut United U20s | No Third-Place Play-off | ||
| 2026–27 | |||||||
Under-18 level
 Competition logo from the 2023–24 EPA season | |
| Organising body | I-League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2019 |
| Number of clubs | 18 (2019–2025) 19 (2025–2026) 22 (2026–) |
| Current champions | Malut United U18s (1st title) |
| Most championships | Bhayangkara U18s (2 titles) |
| Current: 2026–27 | |
This age group for Elite Pro Academy was introduced on 2019. This league format is the same as under-20 league format. At this age level, an additional team is Garuda United (a youth football team formed by PSSI to serve as a development platform and a foundational framework for Indonesia's age-group national teams).
Championship history
| Season | Finals host | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Sultan Agung Stadium, Bantul | Bhayangkara U18s | 1–0 | PSIS U18s | Persija U18s | 4–4 (7–6 p) |
Bali United U18s |
| 2020 | not held due to COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia | ||||||
| 2021 | Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung | Bali United U18s | 2–0 | Persib U18s | Persebaya U18s | 0–0 (4–3 p) |
Borneo U18s |
| 2022 | Madya Stadium, Jakarta | Bhayangkara U18s | 2–0 | Persija U18s | Persebaya U18s | 2–1 | Persib U18s |
| 2023–24 | Garudayaksa Football Academy, Bekasi | PSS Sleman U18s | 2–1 | Borneo U18s | Persija U18s | 4–0 | Persis U18s |
| 2024–25 | Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi | PSM Makassar U18s | 1–1 (4–2 p) |
Persija U18s | Semen Padang U18s | 1–0 | Persik Kediri U18s |
| 2025–26 | Garudayaksa Football Academy Complex, Bekasi Regency | Malut United U18s | 0–0 (3–2 p) |
Persija U18s | No Third-Place Play-off | ||
| 2026–27 | |||||||
Under-16 level
 Competition logo from the 2023–24 EPA season | |
| Organising body | I-League |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2018 |
| Number of clubs | 18 (2019–2026) 21 (2026–) |
| Current champions | Persik U16s (1st title) |
| Most championships | Persib U16s Borneo U16s (2 titles) |
| Current: 2026–27 | |
This age group was the first level introduced for Elite Pro Academy on 2018. This league format is the same as under-20 and under-18 league format.
Championship history
| Season | Finals host | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Bumi Sriwijaya Stadium, Palembang | Persib U16s | 1–1 (4–3 p) |
Bali United U16s | Persija U16s | 1–0 | Barito Putera U16s |
| 2019 | Sultan Agung Stadium, Bantul | TIRA-Persikabo U16s | 2–1 | Bhayangkara U16s | Persebaya U16s | 1–0 | Persija U16s |
| 2020 | not held due to COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia | ||||||
| 2021 | Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung | PSM Makassar U16s | 2–1 | Persib U16s | Borneo U16s | 2–0 | Persiraja U16s |
| 2022 | Madya Stadium, Jakarta | Persib U16s | 1–0 | Persija U16s | Dewa United U16s | 0–0 (3–2 p) |
Persebaya U16s |
| 2023–24 | Garudayaksa Football Academy, Bekasi | Borneo U16s | 2–1 | Persis U16s | Persebaya U16s | 2–2 (3–1 p) |
Barito Putera U16s |
| 2024–25 | Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Bekasi | Borneo U16s | 3–2 | Persebaya U16s | Madura United U16s | 1–0 | Bali United U16s |
| 2025–26 | Garudayaksa Football Academy Complex, Bekasi Regency | Persik Kediri U16s | 1–1 (5–3 p) |
Persis U16s | No Third-Place Play-off | ||
| 2026–27 | |||||||
Under-14 level
| Organising body | PSSI |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2022 |
| Number of clubs | 18 |
| Current champions | Dewa United U14s (1st title) |
| Most championships | Dewa United U14s (1 title) |
| Broadcaster | YouTube (International) (selected matches) |
This age group was the first level introduced for Elite Pro Academy on 2022.
Championship history
| Season | Finals host | Champions | Score | Runners-up | Third place | Score | Fourth place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Pulomas Field, Jakarta | Dewa United U14s | 3–1 | Persis U14s | Bhayangkara U14s | 1–0 | Persib U14s |
Total titles won
The table below shows the total list of champions in the Elite Pro Academy across various age levels.
| Rank | Clubs | EPA U20 | EPA U18 | EPA U16 | EPA U14 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhayangkara Presisi | – | 2 | – | – | 2 |
| PSM Makassar | – | 1 | 1 | – | 2 | |
| Borneo Samarinda | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | |
| Persib Bandung | – | – | 2 | – | 2 | |
| 5 | Persebaya Surabaya | 1 | – | – | – | 1 |
| Persija Jakarta | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Persis Solo | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Persita Tangerang | 1 | – | – | – | 1 | |
| Bali United | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | |
| Malut United | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | |
| PSS Sleman | – | 1 | – | – | 1 | |
| Persik Kediri | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| TIRA-Persikabo | – | – | 1 | – | 1 | |
| Dewa United Banten | – | – | – | 1 | 1 |
Broadcasters
U-14 matches of the league are streamed live via the official PSSI YouTube channel.
See also
References
- ↑ "Mengenal Elite Pro Academy Liga 1, Kawah Candradimuka Para Pemain Muda Menuju Promosi ke Kompetisi Liga 1 Indonesia". Jawa Pos (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2024-10-14.
PT Liga Indonesia Baru (LIB) resmi menggelar kompetisi sepak bola kelompok umur kategori U-16, U-18 dan U-20 bertajuk Elite Pro Academy (EPA) Liga 1 2024/2025.
- 1 2 "Liga 1 Elite Pro Academy U-16 Dimulai". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian).
- 1 2 "Elite Pro Academy Liga 1 U-18 Bergulir". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- 1 2 "Hasil Pembagian Grup Elite Pro Academy Liga 1 U-20 2019". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 10 July 2019.
- 1 2 "PSSI Lengkapi Kompetisi Usia Muda, dengan Menggelar Elite Pro Academy U-14". PSSI - Football Association of Indonesia (in Indonesian). Retrieved 20 September 2022.
- 1 2 "KOMPETISI ELITE PRO ACADEMY KEMBALI BERGULIR, BERUBAH NAMA DAN SISTEM KOMPETISI!". Bali United FC (in Indonesian). 2026-10-06. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
- 1 2 "Regulasi Kompetisi EPA One 2026/27" (PDF). assets.ileague.id (in Indonesian). I-League. 2026-10-02. Retrieved 2026-11-03.
- ↑ Bahri, Saiful (2025-10-14). "Garuda United U-17, Proyek Baru PSSI untuk Cetak Bintang Masa Depan". RM.ID (in Indonesian). Retrieved 2026-10-13.
External links
- EPA U16s and U18s (in Indonesian)
- EPA U20s (in Indonesian)
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| Futsal competitions |
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