The tournament will include the eight nations that have won the World Cup already
A new over-35s World Cup competition is poised to take place in England this summer, boasting a lineup of football’s greatest legends. Organized by the Elite Players Group (EPG), comprised of top-level former footballers and sports businessmen, the tournament, dubbed the EPG Cup, will feature eight teams including past FIFA World Cup champions England, Argentina, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Uruguay.
Scheduled to kick off in early June, the competition will see seven matches held in a single stadium over one week, with talks underway with some of the Premier League’s major northern clubs for hosting. The EPG Cup will see captains of each country, who are also founders of the EPG, leading their respective teams, with notable figures such as Steve McManaman (England), Esteban Cambiasso (Argentina), and Christian Karembeu (France).
To participate, players must be aged 35 or over and have been capped by their country or made 100 top-flight appearances. Provisional squads reportedly include former Ballon d’Or winners like Michael Owen and Kaka, as well as iconic names like Cafu, Thierry Henry, and Francesco Totti, Materazzi, Cannavaro, David Villa Ronaldinho, Ozil, Hernan Crespo.
Matches will be 11-a-side but played over 70 minutes instead of the standard 90, with roll-on substitutes allowed from an 18-man squad. The quarter-finals are set for June 4-5, followed by the semi-finals on June 8 and the final on June 11, fitting neatly between the Champions League final and the start of Euro 2024. Despite the tight timeline, organizers are confident in managing logistics effectively.
