PL Next Gen Cup: Format, Fixtures and details
PL Next Gen Cup is a tournament comprising of teams from England, India and South Africa. In this article we look at the format and fixtures of the cup.
Photo courtesy: IANS
The Premier League collaborated with the Indian Super League and the Premier Soccer League of South Africa to create the Premier League Next Gen Cup, which is a component of the Premier League Youth Games Initiative.
Young Indian players can fight against academy teams from well-known foreign clubs in this tournament. By putting their abilities to the test against elite competition, Indian clubs gain priceless experience. This also fosters talent development and helps to shape the future of Indian football.
The 3rd edition of the PL Next Gen Cup is ongoing in India. Chelsea U-14 side emerged victorious in the first edition in 2020 while South African club Stellenbosch FC won the tournament in the second edition in 2022.
Teams
There are 8 teams in the competition this year. There are 4 teams from India, 3 from England and 1 from South Africa.
Everton FC (England)
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC (England)
West Ham United FC (England)
Stellenbosch FC (South Africa)
ATK Mohun Bagan (India)
RF Young Champs (India)
Bengaluru FC (India)
Sudeva Delhi FC (India)
Player Eligibility
Only players who were born after January 1st, 2002 are eligible to play in the tournament.
Format of PL Next Gen Cup
Eight teams are participating in the competition, and they will be split into two groups of four. Round-robin matches between each team’s opponents within the group will be played.
On May 26, the first team from each group will meet in the final game. 3rd place, 5th place and 7th place playoff will be held on May 25.
The competing teams will be ranked according to points. A team will receive three points for a victory, one point for a draw, and no points for a defeat.
Fixtures of PL Next Gen Cup
Two rounds of fixtures have already been played on May 17 and May 20.
May 17
West Ham United vs ATK Mohun Bagan (1-1)
Bengaluru FC vs Stellenbosch FC (0-1)
Everton FC vs Wolverhampton Wanderers (0-4)
Sudeva Delhi vs RF Young Champs (0-1)
May 20
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs RF Young Champs (2-0)
Sudeva Delhi vs Everton FC (0-1)
West Ham United vs Bengaluru FC (4-0)
ATK Mohun Bagan vs Stellenbosch FC (0-2)
May 23
Stellenbosch FC vs West Ham United – 4 PM IST
ATK Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC – 4 PM IST
Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Sudeva Delhi – 8 PM IST
Everton FC vs RF Young Champs – 8 PM IST
May 25
Group A 4th vs Group B 4th – 4 PM IST (7th place playoff)
Group A 3rd vs Group B 3rd – 8 PM IST (5th place playoff)
Group A 2nd vs Group B 2nd – 8 PM IST (3rd place playoff)
May 26
Finale – Group A 1st vs Group B 1st – 5 PM IST
Telecast and Streaming details of PL Next Gen Cup
The matches will be available on the YouTube channels of Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, Indian Super League and Premier League.
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